


The Fyrcress

by Jaspre_Rose



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Nasty Monster, Stranded, TARDIS key can be used as a homing device, dream connection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 22:14:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29285865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaspre_Rose/pseuds/Jaspre_Rose
Summary: When the Doctor is possessed by the nasty monster devastating the people of Bortogue, he leaves Rose behind to keep her safe but swears he's coming back for her. It's hard to keep hope, but she trusts the Doctor and finally starts hearing rumors of a strange man traversing all of Bortogue looking for a woman called Rose.Their reunion will be sweet, sexy, and a little confusing but definitely nothing Rose will ever regret.
Relationships: Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	1. Prologue

He’d warned her.

Left, right, right, left. Corner. Stairs, two corridors, left, left.

He’d said something was wrong, that something didn’t feel right on this planet. His Time Lord senses were tingling. He’d then made a joke about Spiderman. Only now can she remember how worried he’d been at the time.

Left again, right. Stairs two at a time. Another two corridors.

She’d laughed in his face. What could be bad about such a beautiful place? she’d said. Bortogue was safe, she’d said.

Right, right. Through a disused sanitation room. Stairs, stairs. Left, left, right. Where was she?

She wasn’t laughing now. Something had definitely been terribly, terribly wrong and she’d been too stupid to pay attention and heed the Doctor. Illusions, all of it.

Descend stairs now. Left, left, corridor, right, corridor. Footsteps pounding closer.

The illusions had been shattered just an hour earlier. Lush, green fields actually brown and barren. People hiding within walled fortresses all day, everyday. The corpses of unfortunate travelers littering the grounds outside the fortresses, most likely dying while begging for help.

Left, left. Dead end. Double back, right. Stairs! Right, corridor, left, left, straight. Louder footsteps, sprinting after her now.

Run.

He’d figured it out too late to save himself. She’d figured it out too late to keep the monster out of the ship.

Shite. Another dead end and nowhere else to run. The pounding was much too close. Right.

Hide.

She ducked into an abandoned storage room and immediately ran through a maze of boxes, old furniture, and other paraphernalia. She needed to make a plan, figure out a way to save herself and the TARDIS… and hopefully the Doctor if she could.

It couldn’t end like this. He’d have been so ashamed of her.

“Roooooooooooose,” the thing called in a singsong manner. “Come out, come out, wherever you are. I won’t hurt you, love.”

Yeah, right.

She burrowed down behind a stack of boxes and prayed he wouldn’t find her. She’d tried. She honestly had, but he just kept following her. It was impossible to lose him.

“Oh, don’t bother hiding from me, love. There’s still enough of him left in this body to sense his ship’s nudging and oh, oh, I can feel it, too.”

He kicked some nearby boxes and she smothered a scream by sheer will alone.

“I can sense you there. You’re trembling, aren’t you? Mmm. Yes. I can smell it. Your fear. You fear me and rightly so. You should be terrified, but I won’t hurt you. I want to… love you, I think he would say.”

She was terrified. Whatever he was now, she didn’t have the first clue. All she knew was that he wasn’t the Doctor anymore and that frightened her more than anything she’d ever before faced.

“Hmm. I bet you’re right below me. Are you? Oh, now. Don’t hide from me. I won’t hurt you, Rose. Are you hiding behind these boxes?”

He was playing with her. The slight condescending tone he’d just used was more appropriate for an adult talking to a child and it set her teeth on edge.

“I think you are. Cowering, praying to whatever gods may listen that I don’t find you. But I will. And oh, I have.”

A dark, hair-raising laugh pierced a brief silence and then the boxes in front of her were shoved aside. In their place crouched the Doctor, the man wearing the most grotesque sneer she’d only ever seen in her worst nightmares. Her chest heaved and her heart raced but she refused to let him see how petrified she was.

“Hello,” he said almost tenderly. “You don’t need to hide from me. I won’t hurt you. I want us to be great partners. I need you, love. Now why don’t you come along with me?”

“No, don’t think I wanna.”

Her voice shook, but she bravely met his eyes. Big mistake. They were still his eyes, but they were black and cold. Gone were the soft warm brown eyes she loved so much. These glittering eyes could have been carved from stone.

“I’m afraid I must insist. We two have- Rose.” The tone of his voice changed and his expression morphed to panic-stricken. “Rose, you need to leave. Now. You haven’t much time.”

“Doctor? Oh, my god!” He was breathing harshly, teeth clenched and his top lip curled up. He clutched her hand in a bruising grip, yanked her to her feet, and hurried to the door. “I thought it killed you or something! What’s happening?”

“No time to explain. Leave this ship, get back on Bortogue, find a random small village, and hide. Hide so well this ship can’t sense you anymore. She’ll help you. Your key.” His breathing grew raspier and his grip tightened. “It will no longer feel warm once you’ve accomplished that. You have to leave me. Hide from me.”

“I can’t leave you like this!”

“I can’t hold it back much longer, Rose. You. Have. To. Go,” he ground out and then groaned, his hand tugging his hair hard enough to hurt and his features briefly screwing up. “You’re losing time.”

He began rushing them through the halls of the TARDIS, taking corridors and stairs she didn’t even recognize. She was positive the old girl was helping them along.

“Doctor.” His skin felt hot and for a man with naturally cooler skin, she knew that wasn’t good at all. “Surely I can help. Tell me what I can do and it’s done.”

“No. You can’t. It wants you specifically. That’s what the chase was about. Anybody else it would have killed much later, once it’d gotten off the planet. That’s why it chose me, too. Someone you trust. I can’t. Don’t. I can outlast it, to fight and outlive it, but I can’t try to do that _and_ keep it from getting to you. I won’t have the strength to.”

“Doctor…”

His breath was coming quick and sharp now and she felt like crying. The situation was hopeless.

“Rose, I- you know I- I-” He swallowed and pushed out a sigh. “I need you to stay safe. Hide from me- for me- and stay safe. Please.”

“I can’t let you face that thing alone, Doctor. I-”

“Don’t argue with me.” His tone frightened her enough to kill the rest of her second attempts to change his mind. “I wouldn’t leave you if I had the choice, Rose. You know that now and I will return for you when this is done. That I swear to you.”

“How long do you think? An hour maybe?”

The expression on his face was answer enough and she nodded mutely. He stopped them mere steps from the control room and seemed to fight himself for several long moments. She was worried he’d be the one to lose, but his eyes still looked sad and soft when he opened them.

“Rose, stay safe. If something happens to you while I’m gone, I’ll never forgive you or me.”

“Goodbye, then,” she choked out. “I guess.”

“Not goodbye.” He smiled tightly. “Just see you later. Rose, I- I-”

“Yeah?”

“I-” He bit his lip and pushed her away. “I… I am coming back for you. Once it’s dead, I will return.” She shook her head and he stepped back, staring at her unblinkingly. “See you later.”

She laughed weakly. “See you later.”

“Run.”

She’d yet to disobey that particular command and after one look at the forced smile on his lips and the pained expression marring his handsome features, she ran from him. She didn’t stop once. Not when she heard a cry of pure anguish that tore her heart to pieces. Not when a roar of outrage followed shortly thereafter. Not even when she immediately afterwards heard the familiar sound of dematerialization reverberate around the high cliffs surrounding the valley she was in.

He’d told her to run, to hide. She feared that would be his last request of her, no matter what he said about coming back. She wouldn’t- no, she couldn’t- fail him now.

She only stopped when she could no longer breathe and pain, both physical and mental, barreled her over. Unable to control her actions, she collapsed to the hard ground and fumbled her icy TARDIS key out of her shirt.

The comforting warmth of her key was gone. The Doctor was gone. The TARDIS was gone. She was alone on a planet far from Earth, centuries removed from her own time period. She didn’t know what to do, what to expect now, and her only means of survival was her own resourcefulness.

What the hell was she gonna do?


	2. Maylon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Left to her own devices, Rose finds she has what it takes to survive.

Days slowly bled into weeks and there was still no sign of the Doctor.

She was handling things very well, she thought, but she definitely did not want to be here the rest of her life. For many more reasons than that, she hoped the Doctor found her sometime soon. God, she missed him so much.

Within days of reaching a small village by the name of Maylon, she had managed to comfortably set herself up for an indefinite stay. In return for watching the younger children while the adults hunted and whatever else they did, she was allowed to use a vacant, one-roomed, sparsely furnished hut on the edge of the village. By sparsely furnished, she meant it had a two-person sleeping mat at one side of the hut, a fireplace at the other end, a low table hewn from some tree with green wood, and two relatively comfortable sitting pads on the floor. The only other thing available to her had been a small pile of firewood.

That had taken care of her need for shelter.

She woke up her second day in the village and found a pile of spare skins and cloths at her front door for her to use for sleeping and dressing. Finding those had blessedly obliterated her plans to procure something along those very lines that same day. Indeed, she’d been leaving her hut to do just that and she hadn’t the first clue how she’d planned to accomplish the task… so yay for neighbors. She suspected they came from her nearest neighbors, the friendly ones living right down the dirt path, but no one was willing to admit who had given them to her. Thanks to one particular fur thing in the pile that she’d fashioned into a sort of coat, she was finally warm enough to go on a mission to collect more firewood for when she inevitably ran out.

That had taken care of her need for warmth and basic comfort.

She’d created herself an easy job in the village- the child minding- and it felt kinda wrong being paid in food, but a girl had to eat and there was no way she was talented or skilled enough to hunt or gather non-poisonous food in the forests and waters of Bortogue. Being paid in food was her only option. Also, after observing the way the women collected and purified water from the nearby lake, she’d been able to have a steady source of drinking water.

That had taken care of her need for food and water.

Had he been around, the Doctor would have been impressed and so proud of her ability to adapt to such an alien world. Honestly, she was proud of herself. Until she’d been thrust into this world, she didn’t think she had it in her to survive here. Alone.

Too unskilled to do much of anything expected of the village women, she had little to do with her time. So she talked, she listened, and she thought. Luckily, the families she saw most often were a chatty bunch and she was able to glean a little more information about the thing that had taken the Doctor from her.

The Fyrcress was truly a monster. No one knew why it was so prejudiced, but it only chose males to literally cook and eat from the inside out, which created some disgusting and very depressing thoughts for her. It also hadn’t explained why the Doctor said it wanted her… unless, she had figured, he’d known there was no way to defeat the Fyrcress and leaving her on Bortogue with some bullshit story about it wanting her was much better than having her floating along in the TARDIS in the middle of the universe with a dead body for the rest of her life.

When she’d first had that thought, she’d cried inconsolably for an hour until she’d smacked herself- yes, literally- and reminded herself they’d been in worse situations before.

… Except the Doctor had been at her side those times.

But no. No, she’d decided, there was no way he’d have left her here with the hope that he’d be back if there was no chance he could ever return. He wouldn’t have done that to her, wouldn’t have filled her with false hope. He’d have been honest with her, told her he could never return.

Right? Right. Besides, the Fyrecress itself had said something about needing her. Remembering what it had said, using the Doctor’s voice, about them being great partners, she was 100% positive she didn’t want to know why it needed her or why it had chosen someone she trusted to lure her in. Unfortunately, she had quickly put enough together to figure out what it had intended.

She wished she hadn’t.

Much as she really didn’t want to, since she could still clearly remember the Doctor experiencing every single one, she’d memorized the initial symptoms of infection/possession. Abrupt, though short-lived memory loss, right at the beginning when the Fyrcress possessed the victim.

_“What are you doing? What is this?”_

_“Doctor? It’s the banana you were asking for a moment ago.”_

_“It is?” The Doctor stared at her seriously and then recognition came to his eyes. “Rose. Right. I asked for a banana. Thank you for stashing these.”_

_“Right. You feeling alright?”_

_He smirked. “Perfect.”_

Very obvious change of attitude.

_“I’ve grown bored of this place,” the Doctor mused. “These people aren’t entertaining enough. Let’s return to the ship and find something more fun to do.”_

_“What? Since when do you wanna cut a trip short? I thought we were having fun.”_

_“We could have more fun together on the ship.” The Doctor looked her over head to toe and gave her a slow smile that would usually please her, not worry her. “Why, I can think of several things I’d like to do with you right now.”_

_“Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been acting weird since lunch.”_

_“You have no idea how alright I am, love.”_

_Rose looked at him in surprise, taken aback by his term of endearment but shrugged it away. Perhaps he was just feeling affectionate. Whatever._

Random outbursts of anger and despair.

_“I thought you cared about me, Rose,” the Doctor said angrily and then asked in a gutted voice, “Were you lying?”_

_“Of course I do,” Rose assured him. “What’s going on with you? Let go of my hand. You’re hurting me.”_

_“You’re hurting me, you’re hurting me,” he mocked. “I’m holding your hand. You love when I do that.”_

_“Not when you’re hurting me.” Rose ripped her hand away. “What’s the hurry? Why did you just drag me away from that lovely couple?”_

_“I want to leave and since it’s my ship and you’re my Rose, you’re coming along now.” His expression flipped a 180, going from irritated to devastated in a matter of seconds. “I'm sorry. Please come with me, Rose. I can't lose you.”_

_His eyes weren’t the warm brown eyes she looked into every day and that pricked something in the back of her mind. She could feel the hair standing up on the back of her neck, but she didn’t see anything around them that would have caused that reaction._

_"Fine. We’ll go. Maybe we can figure out why you’ve been acting so weird today.”_

_He laughed, the sound slightly grating. “I know why. You don’t have to worry. I’ll be fine.”_

_“If you say so.”_

Then, as the monster spread throughout the body, came the shorter and rarer bouts of coherency.

_“Doctor, you’re just babbling gibberish and the few words you are getting out don’t make sense,” Rose said in concern and sat him on the jumpseat. “I knew something was wrong with you.”_

_The Doctor might have said something that sounded like, “farce ukulele treble whalebone,” which didn’t make any sense. Rose desperately looked at the glow over the console and felt sick to her tummy. Something was wrong._

_“Tell me how to help you.”_

_“Run,” was forced out, along with what she thought might be, “heeds yearn bottle. Yearn computer. Compartment. Comparable. Gah! Compatriot.”_

_“That doesn’t make sense,” she cried. “Blimey, you’re burning up.”_

_“Heave,” he forced out, “once,” and “offerings. Offing. Off…offscouring.” He angrily shook his head and tried again. “Youth. Nursing.”_

_“What?”_

_“Progenitor.” The Doctor growled. “Feather. Heave once chilblain.”_

_“I'm calling Mum. I don’t know what to do.”_

_A hand curled around her phone, squeezed, and she heard glass crack. She looked at him in surprise, silently demanding to know why he’d just broken the screen of her phone, and saw a dark look on the Doctor’s face. A lead ball formed in her tummy._

_“Run,” he growled._

Steadily rising body temperature as the thing began to feed. There were also the symptoms the Doctor hadn’t exhibited around her: self-mutilation, listlessness, avoiding others like the plague.

Despite her best efforts not to hear, which included plugging her ears and whistling, she knew what happened near the end. Body fire-hot to the touch and she guessed that made sense for a Fyrcress possession. Suicide attempts. Going raving mad. Passing the creature along before the victim could totally die.

Had the Fyrcress succeeded in killing the Doctor and was now aimlessly drifting about the TARDIS?

It had taken a while to puzzle out what had happened, why the Fyrcress had wanted her. In the beginning of her stay on Bortogue and in Maylon, she thought the Doctor had been lying to her about the monster wanting her. However, she’d quickly come to realize he hadn’t been. She had awoken in the middle of the night and vomited when she realized what the Doctor had been trying to convey to her: heave once offerings, youth. Heave once chilblain. He’d needed her because _he wants children. Run._ She’d had nightmares for days after that realization and could sometimes still hear him growl out, “run,” during her waking hours.

There were only two things that kept her going when she otherwise wanted to give into her despair. One, the Doctor had told her he was coming back for her and she trusted him above anyone else in the universe, even her own mum. Two, she could still understand her fellow Maylonians and, if something had happened to the Doctor, that would be impossible.

Oh, there had been scares, though.

The time her neighbors’ young daughter began speaking gibberish, the other children nodding along with her, had been one of the darkest moments of her life. She wasn’t ashamed to admit to herself that she’d thought the Doctor had, indeed, finally died and that she was trapped on a planet where she didn’t understand the people. She’d been crying when the girl’s mother had found her and asked what was wrong. It took her a moment to realise she could understand the woman, Mohild, and then she’d been nearly hysterical with laughter and relieved tears. The little girl had just been speaking gibberish. That’s all. Just a little kid speaking gibberish for fun.

Then there had been the many times since arriving that she’d remembered the Doctor sending her away from him for her own good, leaving him alone on the Game Station, ready to die, ready to leave her stranded on Earth with the TARDIS. However, anytime that happened, she forcibly told herself not to be silly. Not even a week before coming to Bortogue, the Doctor had actually told her he couldn’t lose her like that ever again. Granted, they’d been laughing the whole time, but he’d still said it.

The other nightmares, though. The ones about the thing wanting her to give it children had stopped relatively quickly once she had reminded herself enough the Doctor had taken it away so that it couldn’t find her. The other nightmares, though… Oh, blimey. There was nothing to stop those nightmares or the insecurities the nightmares conjured. They came almost every other night, some tamer than others, others so horrifying that she woke mid-nightmare and vomited, but they were all about him and the Fyrcress. She’d lost track of the number of ways he’d died in her nightmares. Those were the nights when it was almost impossible to keep positive. Though, come morning, her thoughts usually became more bearable and eventually returned to positive. It simply took a while to get back to that mind-set.

Obviously, when she was alone or had time to let her mind wander, she preferred to think about the Doctor’s return for her.

She knew it would take him a while to search for her, because he’d told her to hide so well that the TARDIS couldn’t sense her. That had been one of her first thoughts once the adrenaline and fear had slipped away from her. It would take him a while to find her and she was prepared to wait it out, no matter how impatient she was to be back by his side, her hand in his.

She liked to imagine how it might happen. He’d stumble upon Maylon one day and, like he’d done with every other village between here and the other side of the planet, would ask if they’d seen her. He’d be overjoyed when he finally saw her again and she’d be a crying mess, the long time they’d spent apart making them both blubbering idiots, but that’d be okay. They’d hug and hug and maybe he’d even kiss her forehead, like he had taken to doing in the weeks before this happened. God, she lived for those times his cool lips pressed against her skin like that. It was so sweet and tender and perfect. She probably wouldn’t let him go for a long time, but she really didn’t expect him to be too upset about that.

It was thoughts like those that usually chased away her nightmares.

Certainly seemed to be working now.

Thank God.


	3. Valnica

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose finds herself taking in a girl far from home and soon decides she could handle having a hutmate.

As far as mornings went, she thought this could be deemed a spectacularly bad one.

She was torn from a frankly terrifying nightmare in which the Fyrcress was wearing the Doctor’s skin like a body suit and was using the Doctor’s extensive knowledge to rule the universe. Oh, and she was the Fyrcress Doctor’s… well, mistress. Right body, wrong being. What a twisted way for her mind to fulfill her fantasies.

So there was that.

Then, when she realized a heavy hand shaking her shoulder had awakened her, she’d momentarily forgotten where she was and screamed at the sight of a strange, tall, brawny man standing beside her bed and leaning over her. Worse, she’d screamed in his face and only then realized it was her sweet-hearted neighbor, Lahun, who was more a teddy bear than a blood-lusting grizzly.

Yeah.

And since the people of planet Bortogue apparently never had nightmares, she’d fumblingly tried to explain exactly what one was. She hadn’t done a very good job of it, but Lahun was kind enough to nod and change the subject.

“My sons and I are off to hunt this morning and Mohild and my daughters will be out gathering later.”

She nodded. “I’ll be around. You can tell Mohild to just come in when she gets here with the babies.”

“Thank you, Rose.” It always sounded like he was trying to say roast, but left off the T, every time he said her name. It was somewhat adorable the way he kept trying. “We men will return with your portion when the sun’s gone.”

“Thanks, Lahun. I really do appreciate it. I’d probably starve to death if it were left up to me.”

“Your Doctor saved us and you are his woman. You deserve the help.”

She wasn’t going to disabuse him of the notion that she was the Doctor’s woman. She’d already tried and failed with several other people. Seemed easier to let him think what he wanted. Rose pulled her TARDIS key out from under her shirt and fingered it.

“Still, thank you. I’ll-” She paused when she opened the door and saw another two women on her woven reed doormat. “Er, hello. I’ll talk to you later, Lahun.”

“Goodbye, Rose. Expect Mohild around midday.”

She nodded, waved, and turned back to her two new visitors. Treyslo and Darfil, if she remembered correctly. They were two women she hadn’t really interacted with much.

“Can I help you ladies?”

“I am Treyslo. She is Darfil. We heard you might be able to help us.”

“Alright. Come in?” They nodded and followed her inside, standing in the doorway. She looked around her hut and scurried over to build up the dying embers of her fire. “What is it you need? A childminder?”

“A what?” Darfil asked and then shook her head. “No, we wondered if you would be willing to watch our children while we joined my husband on the hunt today. Mohild has spoken highly of you and suggested we seek your services.”

“Are many people going hunting?” she asked worriedly. She wasn’t too sure how many children she could fit into her hut. “Is it a special day or something?”

“The Guttins are migrating in and we must take advantage.”

“Ah. Okay, yeah. Sure, I’ll watch the kids. When are you leaving and how many do you have?”

“Very soon. Between the two of us, we have six children so far.”

“There will be seven in the future.” Treyslo rubbed her belly and Rose’s brows inched up her forehead. She was pregnant and going on a hunt. How was that acceptable behavior for these people? “In return, we will bring you meat and dried foods. I have been told you only request such things.”

“Yeah, don’t really have any problems with childminding and can’t hunt so what else can I do? That’s what it’s called, by the way. Childminding or babysitting. Kinda different, but the same, I suppose.”

“What an odd word. Your planet must be very strange.”

She shrugged. “Different, that’s all. Bring your children by whenever you’re ready to go. I’ll be here.”

“Thank you. Your name is Rose, isn’t it?”

Again with the T-less roast. Was her name that hard for them to say?

“Yes, it is.”

“Thank you, Rose.”

She saw them out and heaved a sigh. She had yet another visitor. Today wasn’t going to be boring at all.

By midday, when the last of her charges were dropped off, Rose had nineteen children in her hut. She knew it was impossible, but this many children in her already small hut made it feel like the walls were closing in on them all.

Six infants were on her sleeping mat taking a nap and, seriously, they looked absolutely adorable all cuddled up together. She was holding another two small babies, one of which was half-asleep. The other, Craydon, simply refused to take his eyes off her, but she really didn’t mind. He was a sweet, handsome, little thing and kept touching her hair like it was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen. Five toddlers sat in a circle near her table, playing some game Mohild had brought for her to use when she’d dropped her children off. She didn’t know what it was called or how it was played, but it seemed to involve a lot of shouting and thumping on the floor, the kind of game only sadists invent to torture parents and the like. Two girls of about six were wrapped up in two of her jackets- much too big for either of them- and were sitting in front of the fire listening to Mohild’s nine-year-old son, Anper, tell a story about his brave father, Lahun the Heroic. Rose couldn’t quite suppress a snicker at the name. Seated on one of her floor pads, a little boy who was maybe all of five years of age was quietly weaving some sort of thing. Looked big enough to be a belt on him. This was one of Darfil’s kids, she remembered. Next to the little boy was a slightly younger boy who looked like he was about two seconds away from falling asleep on the floor.

Rose’s brows wrinkled. Where was her nineteenth? She recounted twice and still came up with eighteen. Shite. Had she lost one? Oh, good going, Rose.

She stood, tucked into bed the sleeping baby in her arms, tightened her hold on the baby boy still staring at her, and headed to the wall to get a clear picture of the room. However, before she got too far, she found number nineteen.

The boy, Mohild’s three-year-old Brevnal, was curled into a tight, little ball and was sleeping right behind the pad she’d been sitting on less than a minute ago.

“Oh,” she murmured. “Sweet little guy.”

How adorable was he? She glanced down at the cooing baby playing with her hair, looked back again at Brevnal, and nodded. The baby was settled in the middle of her floor pad before she scooped up Brevnal. He only fussed a moment while she was tucking him into the end of her sleeping mat, but then fell back to sleep. By the time she’d gotten back to Craydon, he’d started to snuffle. That stopped, though, when he was back within reach and sight of her hair and face.

She was in the middle of warming some liquid- Bortoguen milk of some sort?- over the fire when three sharp knocks sounded at the door. She straightened, checked that the baby carrier she’d made out of spare cloth was tightly knotted at her shoulder, put a hand under Craydon’s bottom, and moved to answer the door.

A young woman she’d never seen before was on the other side.

“Hello,” Rose greeted. “Sorry ’bout this, but I don’t know who you are so you can’t pick anybody up.”

“I don’t understand. My name is Valnica. I’m new to the village and wondered if you knew where the elder was.”

The elder. She didn’t even know they had an elder. Which guy was that?

“Uh, no, I don’t, but he’s probably out hunting. You can come in until everyone returns from the hunt.”

Not the smartest to invite a stranger in, but she looked weak enough that Rose could likely fight her off one-handed if it came down to it.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. You said you were new?”

“Yes,” the woman answered, eyes wide and gaze sweeping the room. “Are all of these your children?”

She laughed. “No. I don’t have any yet. This is my job. I watch the village children when their parents are busy.”

“What a novel concept,” Valnica marveled. “I’ve never seen anything like it. And what is that thing you’re wearing?” The young woman reached out a hand and jumped when Craydon started moving around. “It’s living?”

“It’s a baby carrier.” Rose pulled back a flap, displaying the baby’s toothless grin. Valnica’s eyes widened. “Another novel idea, I’m thinking. Er, would you like a seat and maybe something to drink?”

“Yes, please.” She sat down and looked around the hut while Rose boiled some herbs for the closest she could come to actual tea. It wasn’t bad. Just different. “You do this often?”

“Yeah. ‘bout everyday, I guess. I watch the kids-”

“Kids?”

“Er, children. I watch the children and the families pay me in meat or whatever they gathered while out. Once, though, I was paid in firewood. It was pretty funny now that I think of it, but it was really helpful.”

“You make a living from watching people’s children? Why, mothers and fathers do that all the time and aren’t paid. You must be very wise to have devised this.”

“Not really.”

“No, you are. You saw a need and dealt with it. You’re very wise.” Valnica perked up and then looked strange, her head bowed and eyes not quite meeting hers. “Are _you_ the village elder?”

“No.”

“You would make a very good elder.” Rose tossed her a look and the girl looked away, attention turned to the sleeping mat at the back of the hut. “Have you a husband?”

“Nope. Er, I mean no.” She kept forgetting these people didn’t know her slang, which was odd. She’d never thought of it as slang before. It was just speaking. “Why do you ask?”

“You have a very small home, but your sleeping mat is made for two people. Also, you must love children and I suppose I was curious to know why you haven’t had any yet. Have you no one?”

“I… Right now, no, I don’t have anyone. Not like that, at least. I have friends, but…”

“What do you mean right now?”

“I’d rather not talk about this.” She really didn’t feel like crying today. “Have you been traveling alone?”

“I have. The Fyrcress took my father and he was the last of my family. I couldn’t stay there after we burned his body so I left.” She picked at her clothing and sighed. “I have been looking for a new home ever since. Months now.”

“That’s why you want to see the village elder?”

“Yes, it is.”

She hadn’t talked to any elder when she’d moved in. All she’d done was ask if anyone could help her find a place to live and she’d been pointed in Lahun’s… Oh, God. She knew who the elder was! Huh. No wonder everyone treated her so nicely and never took their flirtations too far.

She was friends with the village elder.

She was probably one of the safest people in the entire village, because who would risk harming someone under the protection of the guy with the authority to punish anyone caught doing anything wrong?

Rose shook herself out of her musings, poured the herb drink into two stone cups, and wove her way to the table, being extremely careful not to step on little fingers and toes on her way. She handed Valnica a cup and placed her own on the table before sitting down.

“I’m going to be honest with you, Valnica.”

“Please.”

“As far as I know, there’s only one hut in Maylon that’s empty right now and it’s promised to my friend’s nephew. Once he finds a wife, that is.”

Valnica’s face fell. “I see. I think I have no choice but to return home, as painful as that will be. I’ve been traveling for months now and haven’t found a place to call my own yet.”

Rose nodded and stirred her tea, watching Valnica curiously sipping her own for a long moment. She felt a pang of sympathy for and a sense of kinship with this girl who was so far from home. Obviously reminded her of herself. Maybe she could have a roommate of sorts. A hutmate?

“You know, you could stay here temporarily, if the village elder says it’s okay.”

The girl looked at her in surprise and Rose shrugged nonchalantly. Lahun was right down the road if she needed him, after all, and she would need the help watching children if she kept picking up more charges. Plus, she got really lonely without the Doctor prattling in her ears 24/7... or prattling at all. Besides, wouldn’t be the first time someone’s gotten a flatmate (or hutmate) without knowing them all that well.

“Are you serious?”

“Why not? Give you a chance to rest until you’re ready to get back on the road, wouldn’t it?”

“I could never do that,” Valnica said, trailing off and staring at her chest. Rose looked down, immediately focusing on her TARDIS key and then letting her gaze pan out but saw nothing. The young woman shook herself and smiled. “How would I even begin to repay your kindness?”

Alright. Well, best let that go, then.

“You could help me watch the children if you want. Or something. Wouldn’t really have much else to do, since everyone else makes sure I’m fed.” She laughed. “Though, if you have any clothing skills and stuff like that, might have you do a few things.”

Valnica nodded eagerly. “I am very skilled in many things. It would be no trouble to do anything you asked.”

“Well, then welcome to my little hut. We just have to talk to the elder, but I can’t imagine you staying with me would be a problem.”

“Thank you very much. This might seem odd after you just invited me to live with you for a time, but may I ask your name?”

Rose’s brows furrowed. She really just invited this girl in off the road and didn’t bother telling the girl her name? Oh, the Doctor would lose it if she ever told him about this.

“It’s Rose.”

“Rose.”

“Yeah.”

Interesting that she could say her name without making it sound like Sunday dinner. Maybe it wasn’t a Bortoguen thing, perhaps just a Maylonian thing.

“That’s an odd name. Where do you come from?”

“Up north.” She quickly cleared her throat. “Anyways, how old are you?”

“I am sixteen.”

Marrying age on Bortogue. Maybe she should introduce Valnica to Lahun’s nephew, Erris.

“You’re so young.”

“You are, as well. How old are you?”

“Twenty-four. I feel so much older sometimes, especially surrounded by small children all day.”

“You don’t look it.”

They’d shared a smile and spent the rest of the day talking and caring for Rose’s charges. That evening, Mohild and Lahun were the last to collect their children and Rose met them on the path leading to her house. She wanted to speak with Lahun without Valnica hearing. Lahun pulled an animal carcass off his shoulders and stuck it in the little meat shed beside her hut while she silently followed him. When he was finished, he looked at her.

“Mohild will cure it for you tomorrow.” His smile was replaced with a frown. “Why are you looking at me like that, Rose?”

“Are you the village elder?”

“I am. Who told you?”

“I figured it out on my own. If I wanted a visitor staying in my hut for a little while, maybe a few weeks or months, would I have to ask for your permission?”

His brows pulled down. “You have such a visitor?”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you didn’t know anyone on Bortogue. Was that a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t. Her name’s Valnica and she lost her father months ago to the Fyrcress. She left home because she couldn’t stay there anymore.”

“How did you happen to meet her?”

“She came knocking at my door looking for you and I invited her in, because I didn’t know who the elder was at the time and figured he must’ve gone hunting like everyone else. I couldn’t just leave her standing in the cold.”

“That is an interesting story. You wish to have a stranger stay with you?”

“She lost her father, which was the last of her family, to the same thing that took my Doctor from me. She’s far from home or what used to be her home, she’s all of sixteen and is probably scared out of her mind, and she’s willing to help me watch the children and do little odd jobs for us and the hut. I’ve been watching her all day, Lahun, and she’s excellent with the children. Gentle, patient, all of that. She even managed to get your son Anper down for a nap after lunch.”

“Really?” he asked. Mohild cast him a look and he nodded. “Very well, but I will need to meet with her tomorrow. Have her come to the hut after your morning meal and we’ll talk. If I approve of her, she may stay as long as she wishes.”

“I’ll let her know.”

“You’ve a compassionate heart, Rose. I like this very much.”

“I try. I’ll see you two tomorrow.”

“Good evening, Rose. Give this Valnica our regards and my message.”

“Yes, sir.”


	4. Head of House

Life soon took on a predictable pattern for Rose and her new hutmate, Valnica, who had naturally met with Lahun’s approval.

In the mornings, the two women would rise and head to the river to collect the day’s water, bringing it back in jugs Valnica had crafted from clay and baked over the fire. The day’s first children would sometimes arrive after breakfast and, while Rose cared for them, Valnica would mend and wash whatever clothing or bedding needed the attention.

Lunchtime occasionally brought around more children. It had become habit to let the children play together for a while, eat lunch, and then lay down for a nap. During naptime, Rose and Valnica would sit in front of the fireplace and talk, exchanging stories and drinking the herb tea Rose was becoming accustomed to. Valnica had soon learned the Doctor was the one responsible for getting rid of the Fyrcress. She had spent nearly an entire hour that day trying to stop Rose’s heart breaking once more.

Most days, after naptime was over, Rose would sit down and tell made-up stories and Valnica would start separating little shoes and jackets. See, it was only during big hunting days that the children would stay until nightfall. It only took about an hour or so before parents started arriving and the hut started emptying.

By mid-afternoon, only the two women would remain and they chose the time between then and dinner to do whatever they needed or wanted to do by themselves. Rose usually headed into the village to talk to the people about whatever. Valnica would occasionally join her but preferred the solitude of the hut. She was still mourning her father and took that alone time to reminisce, to cry, to do whatever helped her move on.

Having another adult living in the hut with her was wonderful. Sure, she’d had to share her sleeping mat with the woman for the few days it took Valnica to make one of her own, but Valnica was inclined to be more understanding about the nightmares even if she didn’t quite grasp the concept of them. Whenever Rose started tossing around too much in her sleep, Valnica would wake her up and tell her some silly story to get her mind off things.

It always worked, too.

Missing the Doctor hadn’t gotten any easier to deal with, but Valnica acted like a nice buffer against the sadness, soothed the ache of wanting and missing. In turn, she offered companionship to a young girl that had been without anyone in several long months. They worked well together, both personally and ‘professionally,’ if watching her neighbors’ kids could be called professional.

Point was, they worked well together in all ways and many had noticed the way Valnica seemed to blossom before their eyes, becoming happier and more open than she had been at first. The longer she spent in Rose’s presence, the more alive she became.

Rose had never been more relieved the day Valnica finally burst out in a fit of giggles, sounding and looking more like the young girl she was rather than an old matron of sixty. She was healing. She was turning back into a happy, young, vibrant girl of sixteen. Many had noticed that, as well.

So it was that only a month or so after Valnica arrived in Maylon, Lahun approached Rose about a very interesting subject. One, that is to say, that Rose had herself often thought about.

“Tell me something, Lahun.”

“Very well.” He gave her a small, playful smile. “Since you asked so nicely, I will. What do you wish to know?”

“I’ve been here for about five months now and you’ve mentioned wanting to marry Erris off maybe once or twice, but never seriously started looking at the young women in town. But now you’ve developed an interesting desire to marry him off as soon as possible.” She gave him a meaningful look and he fidgeted in response. She very briefly contemplated the situation, being able to make the revered village elder fidget, and then pressed on. “Be honest with me, Lahun. You’ve been trying to keep Erris from marrying until now, haven’t you?”

“No.”

“Bet you have.”

“Why would I possibly do that?”

“Maybe nobody was right for him before… but now you’re here discussing your wish to find him a wife, which means that you’ve met some girl you think would be perfect for Erris. Perhaps a certain sixteen-year-old that’s recently come to town, hmm?”

“Rose.” Roast - t. Roas. Still, after all this time. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She grinned. “Uh huh. I’m sure you don’t. As long as you don’t know what I’m talking about, I guess it doesn’t matter if I say I’ve thought about it, too. A lot.”

Oh, that got his attention. He nearly spilled his herb tea everywhere and put his cup down on her small table.

“You’ve thought of the match before?”

“The first day I met her, actually, but a lot more in the past few weeks. I’ve seen Erris looking at her when he thinks no one’s looking. He wouldn’t disapprove of it.”

“And your Valnica? Would she approve of him? And better, would you give her your approval?”

“She’s not my Valnica, silly. She’s just my friend. I can’t tell her she can or can’t do something.”

She’d just called the village elder silly and all he’d done was smile. Anyone else might have gotten in trouble for disrespecting the elder. Actually, she’d seen that happen.

“But you speak for her,” he argued gently. “That would make her your Valnica, your responsibility.”

“Erm, no. I think she can make her own decisions.”

“Rose, she is an unmarried woman. You do not agree, I see, but women need someone to speak for them in our society. Things must be different on your planet.”

“From where I come from, they are. A lot. You’re telling me a girl needs permission from a parent or whatever to even think about getting married? How is that right?”

“Yes, it is the way things are done here. She lost her father, Rose. When she had no one left to turn to, you welcomed her into your home, greeted her and treated her as a friend. Also, you are older, both in age and experience, than she is and she respects and trusts you. Then there’s also the matter of your Doctor.”

“What about him?”

That came out a little sharper than she meant, but Lahun ignored her tone. Thankfully.

“You have talked of him at great lengths and I feel I know him well. You are already spoken for, even if he has never said so. Therefore, you are not considered an unmarried woman.”

“But I’m _not_ married.”

“Not by ceremony, no, but by the heart if your stories are true.”

“They are.”

“A marriage of the hearts is more binding than any marriage of ceremony ever could be, dear Rose.” He smiled softly and Rose had to swallow a lump in her throat. “You’re not considered unmarried, you’re older than her, and you have become her closest friend in Maylon. You can speak for her and I hope you will accept the offer to do so. She has no one else and I believe you would only have her best interests at heart.”

“Um, I would, yeah. But… what do you think Valnica would say about all this?”

“When we spoke days ago about her being of marrying age and yet not having a head of family, she said she would prefer you be the one to speak on her behalf.”

“She what?”

“She chose you. I have many duties as village elder, one of which is to ensure my unmarried young women have someone to speak for them. This is not surprising, Rose.”

“Okay… I guess it’s silly to ask, but have you talked to Valnica about Erris?”

“Of course I haven’t.”

“Course you haven’t. Like I said, silly question. Did you even think to maybe poke around and snoop? Maybe ask some questions to determine how she felt?”

“That would be your duty, Rose. As her head of family now, it falls to you to ask if she has any preferences.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t hate being married to Erris, but I’ll talk to her later.”

“Excellent. You may be interested to know that Erris is a superior huntsman. I trained him myself because his father perished before the boy was off the breast. Apologies for the word.”

“It’s alright,” she chuckled. He looked so flustered saying such a relatively tame word. “So they’d have that much in common.”

“Indeed. He’d be able to provide well for her.”

This was still weird, being able to decide someone’s future like this. It was kinda like in olden times on Earth, but she decided she may as well do the job right since it was apparently what Valnica wanted.

“Okay. What else have you got? If I’m to consider him, I’ll need to know all the good and the bad, Lahun.”

“You’re correct. As I said, he’s a superior huntsman.”

“Right.”

“He’s attractive and a beautiful girl like Valnica would undoubtedly appreciate that.” She nodded, sipped her tea, and he stroked his beard. “He’s kind-hearted, as compassionate as you. She would feel comforted by such a familiar trait.”

“Most likely, yeah. What else?”

“He’s loyal and already has his own hut to move into upon marrying his future bride. He could wait but I do not think he needs to. Here, many young husbands have to build their own home and live with their parents for the year prior to finishing the home.”

“Why is that? Why a year and why can’t they do it before getting married?”

“A boy is not considered a man until he’s married and, therefore, is not eligible for their own home. Only once the ceremony has ended and he’s claimed his bride can a husband begin building their own home. And it takes a full year for the location of the home to be decided, the blessings to be made, and the foundation and walls to settle. It’s a very long and drawn-out process, I’m afraid, but it teaches the men patience, which is a necessary trait for a lasting marriage.”

“Ah. So why is it that Erris has a home already if a boy has to go through that process? Has Erris married before?”

“Many do not know the story, but I consider you a friend, Rose. I will tell you a story if you are willing to listen.”

She smiled. “Yeah, course I will.”

“I’m glad to hear it. My-”

“Before you start, more tea?”

“Oh, yes, please. It’s wonderful. Thank you. Now, my brother, Federa, sired Erris eighteen years ago. Federa had married a young woman from the village Balan. Her name was Amosa and she was a beautiful, passionate creature, but she was ill. She birthed Erris on her deathbed-” Rose gasped and Lahun nodded. “Yes, this happened. Erris was birthed on his mother’s deathbed. It is a horrible knowledge to face upon reaching an age where one can understand the full import of such a statement. Erris… did not handle the news well at first.”

“What was wrong with her?”

“Amosa had a sickness of the body and spirits. It slowly reduced her to nothing. She became thin, lost her sight, grew too weak to feed herself. She spent her last sixteen months, I think you call them, in bed.”

“That’s so sad.”

“It was difficult. None of us thought she would last the whole pregnancy and I’m ashamed to say I might have threatened to have Federa removed from the village when I found out Amosa was expecting.”

“Oh, my.”

“Yes. It is terrible, to punish my own brother so harshly, but I cared for Amosa. She was a great woman. I like to think if I’d been blessed enough to have a sister, she would have been like sweet Amosa.”

“So what happened?”

“The sickness was too advanced by the time she discovered her pregnancy. She always suspected it was something she had been born with, but of course, that’s just speculation at this point. We’ve no way of finding out, but she once claimed to have felt like her body was an uninhabitable place her entire life, that it had only worsened when she reached adulthood.”

“That must have been hard.”

“For none more so than Amosa, I should think, but it wasn’t easy for anyone else. Especially those of us who loved her. For a time, we all feared Erris had inherited it. Luckily, he did not.”

“I’m glad. So…?”

“Right.”

“Take your time, Lahun. I’m not in a hurry.”

After nodding, Lahun sipped the rest of his tea and thoughtfully set his cup down. He steepled his fingers and met her eyes.

“The evening before Federa found Amosa in her bed, long since gone from our world, he said they had talked for hours about everything they could think of.” Rose felt her heart twist around in her chest. Throat tight, eyes burning. Yep, she was probably gonna cry. “He said one of the things Amosa had made him promise her was that, if anything ever happened to Federa, Erris would inherit the house. He could not deny her and agreed.”

“So what happened next?”

She must be doing a poor job of hiding her tears, because Lahun gave her a sweet, sympathetic look. Shouldn’t she be the one doing that, instead of the other way around?

“I was with my brother the day he was killed.”

“Oh, my gosh. This keeps getting worse.”

“I agree. It does. Lahun had left Erris at home with Mohild that morning, joining my hunting party like he always had. It was about this time of year now that I think about it. The Guttins had been migrating from the south and Federa had been excited, but excitement always made him a careless man. He wasn’t paying attention.”

She suspected she knew where this was going. Lahun closed his mouth, lips in a tight line for a long moment, and she frowned.

“If this is too painful, you don’t have to finish the story.”

“You are my friend, Rose. I want you to know the story. Then perhaps you will understand me and my decisions better.”

“Alright. Go on.”

He nodded. “He was too intently trailing one Guttin and wasn’t paying attention to his surroundings. We tried to warn him when we realized what would happen, but it was too late. He took an arrow to the neck, an arrow intended for the Guttin we were following.”

“Oh, my god!” Rose cried through the hands she’d clutched to her mouth. “That’s horrible!”

That wouldn’t have been a fast death, either, she was sure. For a Guttin, yes, but not… Poor Federa and poor Lahun for having to witness that.

“Yes. We made him comfortable and he told me about Amosa’s wish for their home. As the village elder, it was my decision whether to honor their request or not and none could argue, no matter how much a few of the younger men complained out of my hearing… or so they thought.”

“What a jerk thing to do. A man was lying there dying and they were complaining about how unfair your decision was? Assholes.”

“I do not understand the term you speak, but I think I should agree with you.” She nodded and he smiled tightly. “It was decided. His home has stood empty since that day, simply waiting for him to find a wife. Erris came to live with Mohild and me and, luckily, Mohild had a sister who had just birthed her own child. She fed Erris and her own child as best she could for a few months and then Erris was introduced to real food.” His smile became happier. “And you can believe he loved that, I am sure.”

He was obviously done talking about that so she let him change the subject. She didn’t really think she could say anything about what happened, anyway.

“Well, course he did. He was a man, even in miniature form, and men love to eat.”

He laughed in relief. “That is very true.”

“Okay. What else should I know about Erris, then?”

“Oh, yes. Yes, you’re right. I’d nearly forgotten. Let’s see. Superior huntsman, attractive, compassionate, loyal, already has a home. He is an orphan, just like your Valnica.”

She nodded. “You’ve already said all of that.”

“I expanded upon the lost father bit. Didn’t say that one before.” Rose rolled her eyes and Lahun chuckled cheerily. “You’re right. I’m being terrible. An orphan and an only child, exactly like Valnica.”

That had never occurred to her.

“Huh. I’d never thought about that. The orphan part, yeah, but not the only child part. Wow. They really do have a bit in common. Seems that kinda thing would bond ‘em or something.”

“It’s likely, yes. Did you know I’m not the only man who admires you and Valnica’s ‘babysitting’ duties? Erris loves children dearly, most probably born of a loneliness from being an only child in a house that didn’t include other children until he was half-grown, and he considers your job to be the greatest in the entire village.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. Just this morning, he joined me for a walk through the forest and badgered me about providing better furniture, foods, and furs for you and Valnica’s use. To him, you two women are like deities and should be treated as such.”

“Oh, come off it.”

“I’m being serious, Rose. He’s taken to calling you the village mothers and he says it with such reverence, it’s nigh awe-inspiring.”

“We’re just watching the children. It’s not really an important job, but somebody’s gotta do it. Might as well be the girl who couldn’t hunt to save her life.”

“As I said, to him, you are deities for caring for the children as you do.”

“So… he’d probably be super excited if I approved the match between him and Valnica, huh? Only if Valnica wanted it, I meant.”

“I’m sure he would consider it the best thing to ever happen to him.”

“That’s good. If I’m gonna get Val a husband, better be one that considers himself blessed to have her. Is that it?”

“No. Erris can cook. Mohild taught him to.” Rose nodded thoughtfully. That was good. Couldn’t have Valnica starving during the later months of pregnancy, when cooking over a fire pit would become hazardous to someone who couldn’t see the fire. “He is also very skilled at various artistic endeavors. He can carve out of many materials, including stone. He’s the one who wove this belt of mine, too.”

Rose leaned forward and grinned. “That’s pretty. When did he do that?”

“When he was three.”

“What?” she spluttered. “Three years old?”

“Yes.”

“Whoa.”

“I know. He can also sing and dance very well. His singing voice is soothing. He will particularly appreciate that once he’s had children. I used to sing our family lullaby to Erris when he was a babe and I know for a fact that he’s memorized it. He will do well as a father with a voice such as his. And I’m sure you’ve seen Erris dancing during one of our celebrations.”

“Yeah, I vaguely remember him. He was good, I think.”

“He is. The only other thing I might think to add is a rather negative trait.”

“He only has one?”

“Yes. Mohild and I raised him well.”

“I’m not surprised. What is it, then?”

“He has a tendency to become angry, sometimes violent, when someone he loves is threatened, talked ill of, or otherwise slighted. He’s calmed his reactions in recent years, but he does still struggle with his temper.”

“That’s all? He gets mad and hits stuff when someone targets someone he loves? Has he ever hit a person before?”

“Never, but he does physically react when he’s angry enough.”

“But he’s never hit a person?” she stressed. “Never ever?”

“Not to my knowledge, no.”

“Well, I think I can live with that. I’ll discuss that with Valnica if she happens to approve of Erris.”

“Thank you very much, Rose.” He stood and straightened his clothing. “I have to return home. I’m sure Mohild needs help with something by now. I’ve been here all morning, after all.”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, you should go. I’ll talk to Valnica tonight.”

“Could we meet to discuss this again tomorrow? I’ll admit, Rose, I’m very interested in knowing Valnica’s opinion of Erris. I haven’t any hunting plans in the morning.”

“Tomorrow’s my off-day so I’ll come over after breakfast. Will you be awake?”

He laughed boisterously. “Doubt I’ll even sleep! Good day, Rose.”

“Bye, Lahun.”

“Don’t forget to talk to her.”

She nodded and smiled. She didn’t say anything to Lahun, lest he make a scene, but Rose clearly saw a young lady’s small form hiding behind a nearby tree… and that tanned body far down the path that was casually strolling away from her house? Looked an awful lot like a certain young man. When Lahun was far enough away that he wouldn’t hear, Rose leaned against the doorway and cleared her throat.

“Valnica, I know you’re there. Might as well come out of hiding, ‘cause I’m not moving ‘til you do.” That same small form didn’t budge and Rose snorted. “We have some things to talk about and I’m not doin’ it with you hiding behind a tree.”

“Really?” a familiar voice called and then Valnica stepped into view. “We have things to talk about?”

“You bet. Seems I was nominated to speak for somebody and was not only blindsided by that news that somebody didn’t tell me herself, but also discussed perhaps marrying that same somebody off to another somebody else. Feel like talking or…?”

She didn’t bother finishing her question. Valnica was already rushing up the dirt path and after shaking her head in fond exasperation, Rose headed inside. The young woman was in the house seconds later, rushing to the table. She took up the seating pad Lahun had recently occupied and impatiently waited for Rose to make more tea and take her seat.

“Rose, please. You’re purposefully taking your time, aren’t you?”

“Never would I do that.” Back turned to her, Rose felt safe enough to grin. “Be patient now. I’m thinking.”

“Who was it? The village elder was here. I saw him enter and leave. Who has he suggested? Do I know him? Would I like him? Do you approve of him?”

“Let’s have some tea first. Tea is good and I think we’re both gonna need it. Got a lot of talking to do, you and I.”

Valnica groaned quietly and Rose sniggered.


	5. The Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wedding and a shocking incident with her TARDIS key.

At the beginning of her sixth month living on Bortogue, with a recent _dream_ \- not nightmare- she’d had of her Doctor and TARDIS in mind, Rose attended the wedding ceremony of Valnica and Erris in soaring spirits. Yes, she’d been surprised they had no last names. No, she shouldn’t have been that surprised. Whatever.

She’d literally never seen Valnica looking as happy as she had the evening she’d pledged her life to Erris and vice versa. Good for her. It’s about time something great happened in her life.

So now Rose was back to living alone. It sucked, because there was no one to wake her when the nightmares got too bad, no one to tell her a silly story to keep her mind off it, but she wouldn’t wish things were back to the way things had been before the wedding. Rose could be selfish, but not quite so much that she’d wish away someone’s happiness for her own comfort. Besides, she’d begun dreaming happy dreams about her Doctor, odd images and thoughts that she wasn’t sure how to interpret.

Then there was that first morning after the wedding where Valnica hadn’t showed up to watch the children and she’d been sure she had lost her companion. She really shouldn’t have misjudged Valnica, though. She was waiting by the fireplace when Rose woke that second morning and though she didn’t outwardly show it, Rose had been overjoyed.

Now here she was.

It was again one of her free days, which Lahun had thankfully decreed she have so she wasn’t watching kids every day. He was such a sweetheart. So it was her free day and yesterday, she had told Valnica to stay home today with her husband for once. Valnica had eagerly agreed it sounded like a great idea and that had been that.

It had been a while since Rose had truly spent any time alone to just think. Seemed like lately all she did was talk, work, eat, sleep, and rush around doing this or that. Felt nice to just get away and let her mind wander.

Six and a half months.

Though she hated the mere idea, Rose had been thinking it might be time for her to consider the possibility of the Doctor never returning. It had been six and a half months. He swore he’d return for her, but she wasn’t certain whether he’d been able to defeat the Fyrcress. She didn’t know if he was out there somewhere, dead. Was the TARDIS floating along in the middle of nothing with one dead Time Lord, one pissed off and hungry Fyrcress, and an otherwise empty ship? Impossible, of course, but she still considered it.

Such thoughts made her heart ache, tears in her eyes, but she could stop neither from happening.

Then there was the alternative. He had defeated the Fyrcress and had been searching for her ever since. What happened if he never found her? Would he keep trying until he found her grave? Well, since they burned the dead here, that’d never work. Would he keep searching until he came across a story of a brave, strange woman with a funny accent? What would happen then?

What if he was out there somewhere right that very moment? What if he was mere miles away looking for her and losing hope? Would he leave Bortogue if he didn’t find her soon? Was she doomed to live with these wonderful, amazing people the rest of her life, forever missing and loving a man who’d ordered her to hide from him? Seemed a bit backwards to say she’d be doomed and then go on to say the people were wonderful and amazing, but it’d be true. Without him, life wouldn’t be the same. Wasn’t the same.

Rose ran her hands over her eyes, pulled her knees to her chest, and laid her cheek on her knee. A small stream bubbled along nearby and she let the sound soothe her, trying to abolish her thoughts.

Ugh, this was so stupid! Nothing would come of moping around like a kicked puppy dog.

She just had to trust that the Doctor had defeated the Fyrcress, that he was out there looking for her that very second, and most importantly, she couldn’t give into the impulse to take off and go looking for him. She had to stay in one place, let him find her, as much as it felt like it was killing her.

Trust him. Stay in Maylon. Sounded easy but was incredibly difficult to do sometimes.

She had no idea how long she sat there, letting her thoughts wander into more pleasant territory, but she finally realized it was getting late and there was a celebration that evening. She was supposed to be taking care of Mohild’s children, because she was involved with something or other concerning the celebration. She’d been overwhelmed by information and had sadly forgotten a lot. Day off or not, she had volunteered to watch those sweet children when Lahun had mentioned it that morning. She sighed and pushed herself to her feet.

Hurrying, she made it back to her hut before the suns- all three- completely disappeared. She hurriedly pulled on some of her nicer clothing, grabbed her handmade baby carrier, and slipped into the pair of leather-like shoes Valnica made her as a “thank you for approving my marriage” type of gift. She was shortly at Mohild and Lahun’s hut and knocked once, being let in by their three-year-old, Brevnal. His eyes lit up when he saw her and Rose grinned.

“Hey, there, little guy. Is your mummy and daddy around?”

“In here, Rose,” Mohild called. “I am dressing Craydon. Be ready in a moment.”

Being the village elder- or married to him- had its perks. Their hut had not one, not two, but three separate rooms! Lucky dogs.

“Hello, Rose,” Lahun greeted as he strolled into the room with his six-year-old daughter, Momora, draped over his shoulder. She was giggling into his shoulder and Rose couldn’t help but join her. “We appreciate your willingness to watch the children during the celebration. We would never consider asking…”

“But Mohild and you cannot do it yourself. It’s fine. Honest. Besides, I volunteered, remember? Anyway, I think the kids missed me and I know I missed them. Look at Brevnal here. Hasn’t let go yet.”

The little boy pressed his red face into her leg and after stroking his hair, she settled the baby carrier strap over her shoulder. She loved most babies, but they got heavy after holding them for so long so baby carriers were a blessing. As she was finishing, Anper ran into the room and stopped upon seeing her. A wide smile broke across his face and he skipped to her. He paused only long enough to hug his father around the belly before hugging her, too, his face pressed into her cleavage.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Anper. Lahun, how on Earth- er, I mean, how in the world is he getting this tall? I swear he was much shorter yesterday!”

“You exaggerate, though Mohild might agree with you.”

“I’m being serious. Either I’m shrinking or he’s growing too fast.”

Momora and Anper giggled at the shrinking bit. Mohild came into the room holding Craydon, who immediately perked up wide-eyed when he was close enough to tell who Rose was. While Mohild and Lahun helped their other children put on shoes and coats, Rose settled the baby into the carrier. Craydon snuggled his head against one of her breasts, one hand reached out for her hair, and his eyes slipped shut.

So it was gonna be one of those days? Either he was awake and staring the whole time or sleeping and touching her as much as possible the whole time. Both were adorable.

“Alright,” Lahun announced in The Dad Voice. “Momora, Anper, Brevnal, and yes, even Craydon. Behave for Rose or you will be in trouble when we get home.”

Brevnal was too young to understand, but she never had trouble with him. Momora shyly peaked at her father, eyes wide and bottom lip pouting out. Anper was the only one who nodded seriously, but then again, that wasn’t surprising. It was obvious that Anper thought his dad was a hero. Which, Rose supposed, he might very well be considered one. Momora would most likely want to stay with Mohild’s sister most of the night and that was alright. She just needed to make sure Graefna knew to bring her back to her when she was ready to and Momora couldn’t go sneaking off to anybody again. Anper. Well, he’d probably be in his dad’s shadow- literally- the entire night. It was ridiculous that Mohild had even asked she watch him. Anywhere Lahun was, if Anper could be, as well, he was.

“Thank you again,” Mohild said earnestly. “We will reward you handsomely. Lahun will put the meats in your storage.”

“You don’t need to do anything extra. You paid me the other day and I’m running out of room. You don’t need to pay me every time.”

“But how will we know when to pay you?”

“I’ll let you know when the mountain of meat drying in my shed runs low. Deal?”

“What?”

“Er, never mind. I’ll let you know when you need to pay. We’re gonna go, but we’ll see you in a bit.”

Mohild and Lahun saw her off and Rose slowly led the procession of children to the large fire already raging in the center of the village. Momora slipped off without a word, but Graefna caught her eye from a distance and nodded her okay. Rose grinned in return, reached down to scoop Brevnal up, and settled him on her hip. He leaned into her shoulder and rubbed his little brother’s head, which was cute. It made their journey a bit faster when she didn’t have to constantly worry about a three-year-old trying to walk on and in between her feet.

“Rose, did you know my father is the bravest man in all of Maylon? Probably all of Bortogue, too.”

“I did, actually, all without you telling me.” Anper gave her a shy smile, quickly meeting her eyes and then looking away. “So… you’re not gonna sit with me at all, are you?”

“I could,” he hedged. “Do you want me to?”

“I want you to be happy, even if that means you end up leaving me so you can stand by your dad all night.”

He instantly perked up. “Really?”

“Uh huh.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“Just make sure I can still see you. Wouldn’t be doing my job if I couldn’t make sure you’re still alive.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yep. She’d taught the kids that one. Well, the talking ones. No way was she gonna be watching kids all day and not teach them something.

When they were close to the roaring fire, Rose took a seat on a nearby stone ledge and switched Brevnal around until he was sitting on her lap and leaning his face and chest against Craydon’s back. His little arms were hugging the baby and Rose desperately wished she had a camera.

It was just so stinkin’ precious.

“Come on, Anper. Sit by me until your dad gets here. You can tell me why I saw you holding hands with Dalaina yesterday afternoon.”

“I wasn’t holding her hand.”

His cheeks turned a bright crimson and Rose only felt a little bad for embarrassing him.

“Oh, I saw you. Do you like her?” she lightly teased. “She’s pretty and very sweet.”

“I know that,” he mumbled. “…Maybe I was holding her hand.”

“I think it’s cute, you little charmer.”

Well, that clearly got him in a good mood.

“I am, aren’t I? Just like my dad, I bet.” He nodded and grinned widely. “Think I’ll be as tall as him one day?”

“Taller, I would think.”

“That would be so…”

“Cool?”

“Is that like amazing?”

“You can say that, yeah.”

“Then that’d be so cool. Oh, there’s Dad!”

“Go on, then. You know where I’ll be.”

He didn’t bother to respond, not that she expected him to.

“How is our village mother doing?”

Rose twisted around as best she could with two boys trying to sleep in her arms and met dark eyes.

“Erris! Oh, I’m fine. Babysitting for Lahun and Mohild tonight. How are you doing? Where’s Valnica?”

“My life has never been better. Valnica won’t be here tonight, though. She’s ill.”

His lips pressed together and his eyes drifted away. A look of longing crossed his face and she knew he wished he weren’t expected to be there that night. He’d probably give most anything to be back at home with-

Wait.

What?

“She’s getting sick?”

“A cough and irritated nose.”

“Oh.”

“Your reaction is understandable.” He smiled knowingly. “Maybe someday soon.”

She laughed. “Yeah. There’s always room for more.”

“I have to go speak with Lahun and the council, but we’ll talk some more later.”

“Alright. Good luck.”

“Thank you.”

After a while, Rose maneuvered around until her back was leaning against the trunk of a tree that was miraculously and perfectly close enough to let her do just that. She readjusted Brevnal’s body so he wasn’t squishing Craydon and looked around.

That’s when she noticed him.

Approaching her and looking very uncertain was Darfil’s five-year-old son, Feyrwen. He was clutching what looked like the same belt he’d been working on for a while now.

“Hello, Feyrwen. Do you want to sit beside me?”

“Yes, please.”

She patted the bit of stone ledge beside her and he climbed up, silently holding his belt in his lap for a long moment.

“Are you okay, sweetie?”

“Yes.”

“Where’s your mummy?”

“Talking to Daddy.”

Rose surreptitiously glanced around the crowd and promptly spotted Darfil across the fire. She kept glancing this way so she obviously knew Feyrwen was over here. That was a good thing.

“How are you today? Did you do anything fun?”

“I finished this.”

“Oh, can I see it? You’ve been working so hard on it. I bet it’s pretty.” He shyly held the intricately knotted and woven belt up and looked at her closely. “Oh, my! It’s so pretty, Feyrwen! You did such a good job on it.”

“It’s for you,” he mumbled, long lashes fluttering, big dark green eyes meeting hers. “It rounds your neck.”

A necklace. He’d made her a necklace. How _precious_.

“Thank you so much! That was really nice of you, sweetheart. I’m gonna put it on right now.”

“Will you?”

“Of course I will. Watch me.” He handed over the piece and Rose looped and tied it around her neck. The little boy looked so happy and proud when she again looked at him. “I love it, Feyrwen. Thank you.”

Red cheeks, shy smile. Little kids were adorable.

“You’re welcome.”

“Now maybe you should go back to Mummy before she gets worried. I’ll see you tomorrow, Feyrwen, and I’ll definitely be wearing my new necklace. Okay?”

He ran off without a word and she quietly laughed. This little village had its charm and the people were lovely. It helped her forget about the Doctor for whole… well, not days, but hours at a time. Once, she even got almost a full day in without thinking about him, but then had a nightmare that night. She wasn’t too sure that was an even trade.

Still, she loved Maylon and its people. She’d have to return for a visit if she ever… Well, anyways. It was a nice place.

Craydon snuffled against her skin, Brevnal wiggled around to get more comfortable, and she smiled fondly at the two boys. Looked like someone didn’t take their nap that afternoon. How cute were they, though?

She was just in the middle of standing up a while later, both to retrieve a drink and to maybe jostle the boys awake so they wouldn’t be up all night, when she felt heat sear the skin of her chest. A noise escaped her throat, she almost dropped Brevnal, and hurriedly sat him on the stone ledge she’d just been sitting on. She could hear people rushing to help her but was more focused on finding out what in God’s name had just burnt the shite out of her. She froze when she figured it out.

It had been her TARDIS key.

She delicately pulled it out of the way and saw an angry, blistered, painful red mark that perfectly matched the shape of her key. What was that about and why had it done it? God, did that mean something had happened to the Doctor? The TARDIS, too? She was nearly too worried and pained to be able to think straight, but she also had two little boys to take care of so with tremendous effort, she pushed the incident to the back of her mind. She would puzzle it out later that night when she wasn’t in public.

“Rose,” Lahun called out. “Are you okay? You cried out.”

She could still understand him. Thank God.

“Yeah. It’s alright. Nothing to worry about. Thought I wasn’t wearing my necklace for a moment. Didn’t wanna lose it. Sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine. It’s okay. I’m sorry.”


	6. A Tale for the People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose first hears the story moving across Bortogue.

The key incident had been thoroughly examined, exhausted, and nearly forgotten. Her key still felt as cold as the day she’d first been left here, she could still understand the Maylonians, and she didn’t feel any weird sixth sense telling her something was wrong.

Clearly, nothing had changed in the slightest. She put it down as one of those weird, unexplainable things and tried to move on. She actually did a pretty good job of it, too. It took about a week for her chest to heal and she had to remind herself why she was sore on the fifth day or so, because she’d completely forgotten. If the Doctor had been around, he would have teased her about her human brain, she just knew.

Rose took hot water off the fire and sat at the table, preparing her morning cup of tea. Today would be an easy one. As far as she knew, she would only be getting Craydon and Brevnal. No one else had spoken to her about taking their kids the night before and Mohild was setting up a class of sorts to start teaching the younger kids various skills. She’d jokingly said she should probably attend and Lahun had laughed at her before abruptly becoming serious and saying her job was more important than knowing how to fashion clothing from fur.

She hadn’t argued. She knew what Erris and (to a somewhat lesser extent) Lahun thought of her job and to be honest, it felt nice to be so appreciated.

It was turning out to be an amazing day, which was fantastic! The suns weren’t hidden by clouds- she could feel the warmth of them through the smoke vent at the top of her hut- and she could hear that there was little to no wind today. It would be the perfect day to take Brevnal and Craydon out to play.

There was a little tap, tap at the door and Rose automatically smiled. That could only be – Valnica slipped through the door before Rose could call out and they exchanged a smile.

“Good morning, Rose.”

“Morning, Val. Hate to tell ya, but we probably won’t have too many today.”

“Oh. Really? How many do you think?”

“Far as I know, only Brevnal and Craydon.”

“Who both consider you their second mother.” Valnica shook her head. “I’m still going to stay. I noticed your clothing and rugs are becoming tattered. I can mend them for you.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Rose argued. “You have your own home now and shouldn’t have to do anything for this one.”

Valnica thoughtfully cocked her head. “Be that as it may, Rose, I would like to. Have you anything else that needs mending, cleaning, or replacing?”

“I don’t know. Don’t think so.”

“You would lose your head if it weren’t attached.” She paused and met Rose’s eyes. “Did I use and say that right?”

Rose laughed. “Yeah, you did. Tea?”

“Please. It’s beautiful outside. We might take the children to the fields, let Brevnal play a while, and possibly eat lunch on the grass. What do you think?”

Valnica accepted a cup of tea and Rose grinned at her, nodding.

“It sounds perfect. I was actually just thinking about taking them out, too. You read my mind.”

“What? I did no such thing!” She paused. “Did I?”

“No. I meant we were thinking the same thing. It’s just a saying.”

“Oh. What an odd phrase. Is that another one of your Earthan things?”

“No. I mean, yes, but don’t say Earthan. It’s planet Earth, but we’re humans so you’d say- well, I’m from England so- Er, never mind. It’s kinda like on Bortogue. You say you’re Maylonian, not Bortoguen. Humans are the same.”

“Fascinating. Is England your village?”

Rose guffawed. “Yeah, my village. A big village. Really, really big village.”

“That is very interesting.”

Just like she always did when they’d been discussing Rose’s past for too long, Valnica seemed to physically withdraw from the conversation without even moving a muscle. Rose suspected she wasn’t even aware that she did it.

“I’m glad you think so. There’s something I’ve been wondering since I arrived.”

“What?”

“Do you not celebrate your birthdays here?”

“Of course we do. Why?”

“I never hear about parties or anything and I don’t even know when you were born, not that I’d understand if you told me. Your months and stuff. The names confuse me.”

“Oh. Well, you do hear about the parties, Rose. The celebrations we attend are usually to honor someone’s birth date,” Valnica calmly explained. “The last we attended was for Mohild. Did you not find it odd that you were caring for her children when she usually does that during celebrations?”

“Huh. I am now. But nobody said Happy Birthday or anything.”

“Happy birthday?”

“It’s a wish for a happy birthday. Sweet and simple.”

“I’ve never heard anyone use it, but I like it. Happy Birthday.” Valnica smiled. “You are always doing or saying something I’ve never seen or heard of before. You will leave quite a legacy once you’re gone.”

“Trendsetter, I am.” Rose giggled. “I only wondered ‘cause mine’s coming up and I didn’t want to offend anyone by doing anything that wasn’t normally practiced. Hate to make Lahun mad, you know.”

“Your birthday is coming up?” she asked, looking proud for having said birthday, instead of birth date. “Is it soon?”

“It is. Thought I might see if I can con Mohild into cooking for me. Don’t need anything too fancy anymore since I’m getting older. Ya know.”

Seven months.

“You are still young, Rose. Don’t be absurd.” Her expression became serious and she slowly spun her stone mug around. “And your Doctor will come for you. Be patient.”

Valnica could read her so well. Mind-blowing, that, since they’d only known each other about four months or so.

“You’re right. I know, but there’re times I wonder… And that’s enough about this. How’s your husband and how’s married life treating you?”

“It’s amazing. He’s amazing. He wants a child already.” She smiled widely and Rose felt compelled to join her, not that she wouldn’t have anyway. “He said it doesn’t matter if it is a son or a daughter. As long as it is mine, he will be happy.”

“That’s so sweet, Val. I’m so glad you’re happy. What are you hoping to have?”

“I would not mind either way. I want many children. I do not have to be picky.”

“Ooh. How many do you want?”

“At least half a dozen. A dozen is twelve, yes?”

“Yeah. Wow. That’s… a lot.”

“Erris and I did not have brothers and sisters. We want as many as we can have, actually… Six is simply a starting number.”

“Whoa. Cool.”

“Like amazing. Yes. How many children do you wish to have?”

Yeah, she deserved that.

“Not a part of my future, I think.”

“But you and your Doctor are married of the hearts.” Rose gave her a questioning look and Valnica shrugged. “I heard Lahun talking about it the other day.”

Again?

“He was? Why?”

“Mohild wanted to find you a husband. I am sorry I was eavesdropping.”

“No. I’m glad you did. That’s weird.”

“Not weird. She is concerned about you. Do you not wish to have children with your Doctor?”

“I didn’t used to. Thing is, though, he’s not here. Even if he was, I don’t think it’d be possible.”

“Why not?”

“He’s not like me. I’m not sure we’re compatible. Besides, children have no place on the TARDIS.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a ship. Our home, actually.”

“You and he have a home.” Valnica smiled sweetly. “Why do children not have a place in your home?”

“Erm, well, I guess they would be alright on the TARDIS, but we… We used to… Er, travel. A lot.”

“Just like I did. Tell me more,” she begged. “Please?”

“Um, okay. When we were together, he and I used to travel to planets and…” Best not mention time travel. It had taken forever for her friends to grasp the concept of being able to visit other planets. “Anyways, we traveled around and made sure people weren’t in trouble. If they were, we did everything we could to save them.”

“You and he are _heroes_ ,” she said in awe. “None of us knew how much, though. Rose, you are a hero… and you live like this. It is not right. Lahun must change this.”

“I like it. I don’t want special treatment. That was our life, Val. We didn’t do it for the attention, glory, or whatever. We did it ‘cause it was the right thing to do.”

“You are a remarkable woman, Rose. Why have you hidden this part of yourself from me?”

“I wasn’t hiding it. Just never felt the need to talk about it or anything. Besides, I’m pretty worthless at saving the world without the Doctor helping me along.”

“I do not believe that.”

“I appreciate it but trust me. I’m telling the truth.”

“I must respectfully decline to believe you about this. You are not worthless without him. I am sorry, but there it is. You will not convince me otherwise.”

Rose tossed her hands up to show she wasn’t going to argue since it’d clearly get her nowhere. She then freshened their herb tea and put her elbows on the table, staring into the bottom of her mug.

“Two or three.”

“Hmm?” Valnica roused herself from her thoughts. “What are you talking about, Rose?”

“If it were possible and the Doctor…” Rose sighed. “And if children of my own could be a part of my life, I’d want two or three.”

“That is not very many.”

“Better than none at all.”

“True enough.” Rose met her eyes and Valnica smiled. “There. Was that so very hard?”

She snorted. “Extraordinarily.”

“Oh, you. Mohild should be arriving any time, should she not?”

“Should, yeah.”

Mohild arrived right after the two women had finished their mugs of tea. Brevnal was hyper and his mother apologized profusely. Rose laughed it off. Children occasionally acted like that. Craydon chose to be wide awake that day and it was a welcome change. He’d been sleeping a lot lately, enough that she’d started to worry he might be getting sick.

Nearer to lunchtime, Rose and Valnica, respectively carrying the boys and toting a basket, set out for the field right next to the lake. It was a calmer, more relaxed day in the village and they only ran into a few people on their way there.

“I think the cooler weather may finally be leaving us,” Valnica said as she stretched out on the blue-green grass. “What do you think?”

“I hope. I’ve been wearing a thinner jacket lately. That’s a good sign, I think.”

“I do, too. Brevnal, you stay away from the water. I will not have Rose save you,” she threatened. The little boy unrepentantly giggled and rushed away from the water, chasing after a flutterbee, as they called them. Looked more like a giant, bird-like mantis of some sort, but whatever. “Boys.”

“Yep.” Rose put Craydon down on the grass so he could crawl around and then dug around in their impromptu picnic basket for a small jug of water. “You know, if you have a little boy first, your next children’ll have a big brother.”

“I suppose they will. Is that significant?”

“Probably not, but I always wanted a big brother growing up.”

“I see. You wish to have a son first?”

“If I were to have any children, yeah.”

“I hope you one day do, Rose.” Valnica smiled gently and pulled out a knife and a loaf of bread, settling both on her knee. “You handle children so well and I can tell you enjoy them. It will be heartbreaking if you never have any of your own.”

“I’ll survive.”

“Perhaps. You could borrow one of mine when you need to,” Valnica teased. “I will likely appreciate the break.”

“Oh, yeah,” Rose laughed. “I could have my own little nursery and everything. See how many people I can fool into thinking the baby’s mine.”

“I doubt anyone would think twice. Bread?”

“Thinner than last time. That was too much bread for a sandwich.”

“And there is another concept we Maylonians have never heard of. I might even go so far as to say all of Bortogue has never heard of it. A sandwich. Piling meats and cheeses between slices of bread. It is astounding the things you think of, Rose.”

“Wait until I introduce you to donuts.”

“What is a donut? Does it actually involve nuts?”

“Um, no. Well, that’s a lie. I did once have a donut with nuts on top. A donut is a breakfast thing. Sort of. I used to eat them whenever, not just at breakfast.”

“And what is it?”

“It’s… um, I’ll show you later. I think I can make some out of the stuff I have at home. You’ll love it. I promise.”

“Then I cannot wait to try one.”

Rose quickly assembled three sandwiches and retrieved Craydon’s lunch from the picnic basket while Valnica poured them all cups of water. Though, as a little treat for Brevnal, Rose had brought along some of the bunber fruit juice she’d finally learned how to make. On her own, thanks to Mohild’s patience.

“Brevnal, I’m gonna eat your lunch if you don’t get your cute butt over here.”

The three-year-old raced to her as fast as his little legs could carry him. He skidded to a stop, nearly landing in her lap, and dropped to the ground between her calves. She tapped his nose, smiled, and held up a sandwich.

“Thank you,” he said, eyes lighting up and hands snatching the food from her. “I like this.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah!”

“Well, you better eat it all up or the Rose monster’ll eat it for you.”

“No!” he screeched, giggling and smiling as he tried to shove the food in his mouth. “Mine!”

“Slow down, Brevnal. I don’t want you to choke.”

“Would you like me to feed Craydon so you can eat, Rose?”

“No. You go ahead. You need it more than I do. After all, you might already be feeding for two.” She winked and Valnica smiled, her cheeks reddening. “Sorry. That was funny, though. Seriously, though, this isn’t a big deal for me. I’m getting pretty good at multitasking.”

“I would think so. How long have you been doing this work?”

“Seven months.”

“There you go. Plenty of practice.”

“Yeah.”

“You there!”

Rose and Valnica’s attentions turned to a man coming down the dirt road in a cart. He began waving them to come closer and Rose handed Craydon to her friend.

“Stay here. I’ll be right back. Gonna see what he wants.”

“Okay. If you need help, call.”

“Thanks.” Rose jogged over and looked into the man’s face. “Can I help you?”

“I have been asked to pass on a message to each village and town I come to. There is a man. He is going around and wants this message to reach as many people as possible.”

“Okay. What is the message? I can deliver it to my elder.”

“He is looking for a specific woman. He called himself the Doctor. He-” Rose nearly collapsed. She couldn’t pull any air into her lungs and one hand clutched at the man’s arm to stay upright. “Miss? Are you alright?”

“Rose?” Valnica called. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine. Fine,” she gasped. “Sorry. Truly. I am just so… happy.”

“Are you alright? Should I fetch someone to help you?”

Her heart was thundering and she placed a hand over it to calm herself. At least she could breathe again.

“No. Where’d you see this man? When?”

“Three months ago,” the man said and she nearly collapsed again in exquisite relief. “I was visiting family in Monsot and this man with a strange voice arrived.”

“The accent?” The man blinked. “The voice. It sounded kinda like mine? Not what you’re used to?”

“Yes, actually.”

“Please continue. Please. Don’t leave anything out.”

“He quite literally danced into town, miss, and started asking every single person he met if they had seen a young woman that…” He paused and studied her. “He described her, and this is the strangest thing, but she sounded like you.”

“That is strange,” she agreed excitedly. “What did he look like?”

“Tall, thin, dark hair, serious expression.”

“Was he wearing a brown outfit with blue stripes?”

“No, he was not.”

Oh, God. Had he regenerated? New, new, new Doctor. Great. She had no idea who she was looking for now.

“Oh. Well, what was he wearing? So I know him if I see him, of course.”

“Normal clothing, I suppose, though they looked ragged. He did have the oddest sort of pack on his back. I have never seen anything like it before, miss.”

“Thanks. And he really told you to tell everyone about him?”

“He did. He asked me to mention him to at least one person in each town on my return home and wanted that person to then pass the news on to their people. He said he was searching for this woman- her name is Rose- and he wanted her to know. It takes me two months to travel between my home and my father’s so I was more than willing to help the man out. He seemed desperate.”

Her breath caught. “Did he?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have any idea where he was going next? Where did he come from?”

“He said he was heading further north. He said ‘lots of people are from the north,’ though it seemed an odd thing to say and then laugh about.”

Rose briefly smiled and then frowned. He was moving away from her. But this was amazing, though! He was alive and he was definitely out there looking for her!

“Thank you so much…?”

“Harna.”

“Thank you so much, Harna. I’ll pass the news on, don’t you worry.”

“Thank you. It is a terrific story, is it not it? A man searching for the woman he loves, passing the news around so she might hear and take comfort in it. Makes you happy just knowing there is something out there worth fighting for.” Harna smiled and picked up his reins. “I really must be going. I have another two weeks before I arrive home and I am most eager to return. I have realized there is a woman in my village that I simply cannot live without any longer. Do not forget her name is Rose. He stressed that enough times that it must be important.”

“Right. Good luck.”

She watched him until he’d disappeared and then looked around for Valnica, but she and the boys were gone. This was the best day she’d had in the last seven months and now one of her closest friends wasn’t even around to speak to. She was shamelessly crying, feeling beyond elated, when the blurry figure of a man raced up to her and clutched her arms.

“Rose?” It was Erris. She knew his voice well. “Valnica sent me to you. Are you alright? Why are you crying?”

“This man… Oh, my god, Erris.”

“Who was this man?” His voice lowered, sounding angry. “Did he hurt you?”

“He- he-”

Rose yanked him to her and dropped her head onto his clavicle, fiercely hugging him and crying. Or was it laughing? The Doctor was alive! He wasn’t dead and he seemed desperate to find her. That Harna had said so. He was alive!

“Oh, no. Rose, tell me what happened and we will hunt him down. He will be brought to justice. Zalid, Darwol, come!”

“No! No. Nothing happened. Not bad. He- he- he told me a story.” Two more men joined their group, but she paid them no mind. Erris tightened his arms and her breath hitched. “Erris, he’s out there. My Doctor. He’s alive. He’s looking for me.”

She kinda broke down after that, only able to tell bits and pieces of the story. Even she couldn’t understand half of what she was saying. It wasn’t until she was sitting in Mohild and Lahun’s hut in the middle of a huddle of people that she calmed enough to see and speak right. Lahun leaned forward and grabbed her hand.

“Tell us what happened, Rose.”

Still with the Roast - t. Roas. It never failed to make her smile.

“His name was Harna and he was visiting family in Monsot, wherever that is. He told me he ran into a man who was looking for this woman.”

Valnica’s eyes lit up and Rose nodded eagerly, grinning widely. They both started giggling excitedly and everyone save Erris looked at them like they’d lost their minds.

“Rose, please. Finish your story. Then maybe you can explain your laughter.”

“Sorry, Mohild. The man Harna met was asking everyone he saw if they’d seen this woman and then described her. He asked if Harna, once he began his trip home, would tell at least one person in each village and town about him and his quest to find that woman. He wanted him to tell one person and have that person pass it along to the village, because the man wanted that woman to know he was looking for her and he hoped the news would reach her somehow.”

“What does this woman look like?” Mohild asked. “We can alert our people and keep our eyes open.”

“It’s me. He’s looking for me. It’s the Doctor, Mohild, Lahun. Said both of our names specifically.” She started laughing and wiped at her eyes while Lahun, among others, gasped or reacted in some surprised manner. “He’s moving north, but it’s only a matter of time before he heads this way, right? He’s out there. He’s still alive!”

“Oh, sweet Rose.” Lahun scooped her up into a tight hug and she joyfully returned it. “We never doubted him.”

That night, the village celebrated. For Rose, for the Doctor, for the dead Fyrcress, for love, for life, for hope.

Three of the best and largest guttins were brought out and roasted over huge fires. Bortoguen fruits, vegetables, and nuts were gathered. The fruits went into little pies or were roasted in the tongues of flame licking at the meats. The vegetables and nuts were steamed, boiled, fried, mashed, seasoned, and so on. There was a giant feast and plenty of drinking of a spiced fruit wine. People danced, sang, laughed, cried, hugged, talked, and sent out prayers to the universe that the Doctor would soon come their way. Everyone had stumbled home as the suns were rising, leaving the celebration ring an absolute mess.

It was no surprise that Rose didn’t babysit that day.


	7. Lahun's Brilliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More arrive with the Doctor's story and Lahun sends out one of his own.

More news came along two days after the traveler, Harna, had caught Rose outside Maylon.

Since that specific day was Rose and Valnica’s day off from watching the village children, they had decided to do their washing and were on either side of the washing trough when Rose caught sight of a cart kicking up dust far off in the distance. She resumed her washing and only looked up when that same cart rolled to a stop a short distance from them.

She and Valnica gave each other a look, abandoned their washing, and hurried to the visitors.

“I am Mayrga,” a woman offered. “This is my husband, Kestup, and our children.”

“Hello,” Rose greeted happily. “I am Rose. This is my friend, Valnica.”

The man’s eyes lit up. “Rose is not a Bortoguen name so I know I have a message for you personally. We came upon a man named The Doctor while in Heracor and he says he is looking for you.”

Rose nodded excitedly.

“She even looks like the woman’s description, Kestup,” Mayrga noted. “You are truly the Rose he searches for?”

“Yes. That’s my Doctor.”

“He defeated the Fyrcress,” Valnica told them proudly. “They are married of the heart and are great heroes.”

The small family had immediately gotten off the cart and hadn’t left until much later, after they’d given thanks and offered up blessings and small trinkets to Rose and the absent Doctor.

Three days after that, a lone woman rode into the village on the back of a Jarqo, which looked like it had the body of a giant lizard and the legs of a _massive_ horse. Rose, in the middle of watching children with Valnica’s aid, answered the door with Craydon strapped to her chest.

“Hello, Rose,” Erris greeted and the strange woman smiled. “This woman hailed my attention as she was passing through the epparch field. Her name is Zalla and she has a message I think you might wish to hear.”

“Hello. Come in, you two.” The woman and Erris entered the cabin, Rose handed Craydon to Valnica, and Erris wandered over to Valnica’s side. “What’s your message, Zalla?”

“A Doctor is looking for you. I was to pass his message along at each village and town. He is looking for a Rose of your description, though it was silly to give a description, because Rose is not one of our names. Oh, I apologize for going on so. He is looking for you, as I said, and I heard him tell another woman that he will not stop until he finds you. He also said something about a key.”

“My key? Can you remember what he said about it?”

It was the first time she’d heard him saying anything about it.

“He said things that made no sense, words I have never heard before. He said… homing sensor, something that sounded like tartarus, and dreams. Do any of those make sense?”

Homing sensor, TARDIS, and dreams? Was the TARDIS using her key to find her? Was he close enough for that? Her eyes widened. That explained the burning incident, didn’t it? Where had he been at the time and why had it burnt her? And how do dreams fit in?

“Yes, somewhat,” she finally answered. “Thank you, Zalla.”

The next morning, Rose woke up with Anper standing over her.

“Anper? Why are you in here?”

“Father sent me to invite you to breakfast. Do you not remember? You have been speaking to me for a time now.”

“Oh, no, I… uh, I apparently talk in my sleep, Anper.”

“Can you teach me to do that?”

Rose smiled. “It’s not something you can teach or learn, honey. Let me get dressed and I’ll see you at home. Okay?”

A bit later, she went to knock on Mohild and Lahun’s door and jumped when the door opened right before her hand could connect with the wood.

“We have been waiting for you, Rose. Come in. I hope you are hungry. I have been cooking since the first sun showed itself.”

Rose peeked out the window flap. Two out of three suns were already up and, when her watch still worked, she’d learned that meant it was six in the morning… well, for her. It was still early for these people.

“What’s going on, Mohild? None of you usually wake until the third sun’s up.”

“A messenger arrived here last night when the moon was right above. It was sent by Lahun’s second father.”

So… his grandfather.

“Really? Is everything alright?”

“Yes. Rellanoy had a visitor come to him yesterday, the friend of a friend interested in wedding a village girl, but he also came bearing the message from your Doctor.” Mohild smiled widely. “Your man was heading in this direction when that friend, Grirsu, started his journey to Rawtuq, Rellanoy’s home village.”

“He’s finally heading this way?” Rose asked breathlessly. “Really?”

“Yes. Lahun will shortly return. He was sending the messenger off with a message of his own.” Rose looked curious and Mohild smiled while pulling a pot away from the fire. “He told the messenger to stop in each village on his way back to Rawtuq to let people know you are here in Maylon. When your Doctor comes this way, perhaps they will remember to tell him where you are.”

“That’s brilliant!”

“I am glad you approve.”


	8. Doubling Back

Her TARDIS key had zapped her again.

Carefully standing from Erris and Valnica’s table and excusing herself, Rose kept her cry in until she was outside. She used the waning sunlight to see the damage done to her this time.

Why was her key harming her? Surely, if the Doctor was using it to somehow track her, it wouldn’t keep doing this. When the Doctor finally found her, she was definitely going to ask about it. She was grateful, though, that the burn wasn’t as bad as the first time. That was something.

“Is everything alright? Is dinner not to your liking?”

“No, it’s great.” She let go of her shirt before Valnica could see and turned to her with a smile. “I thought I heard something, that’s all.”

“Did you?”

“Nope. I’m hearing things.”

They exchanged a smile and headed back inside the hut. When he noticed them, Erris covered his mouth and spoke, not even bothering to swallow first.

“Alright?”

“Yes. You must love somebody’s cooking. Glad to see it.”

“You saw nothing, because I had my mouth covered,” he replied good-naturedly. “What is going on?”

“Rose thought she heard something.”

Erris frowned. “The entire village has been on lookout for a month, Rose. You do not have to keep taking a peek outdoors. Someone will find you when the Doctor arrives.”

She hadn’t even thought people might think that. Had she been spending more time outside as of late?

“Uh, you’re right. Sorry. I’m just excited. I can’t wait to see him again.”

“We understand,” Valnica said softly, rubbing Rose’s arm. “All of us are excited to meet him. If he has captured the heroic village mother’s heart, he must be something special.”

“He has you saying it now.”

“I like the heroic part,” Erris remarked. “It is fitting. Valnica told me about you, Rose, about what you and your Doctor do.”

“Should’ve expected that.”

“Yes, you should have. Will you leave as soon as he returns?”

Silence followed. Erris and Valnica were staring at her in interest and Rose couldn’t quite meet their eyes. Of course she was leaving, but this was the first time she’d considered how that might feel for her and for the others. How could she talk about it without breaking all of their hearts?

“We understand, Rose,” Valnica commented quietly. “You share a home with your Doctor and that home has never been here. It is like a long vacation, is it not?”

“You can think of it like that. Yeah, I’m leaving. I… It won’t be easy, but at the same time, it’ll be the easiest thing I’ve ever done. Does that make sense?”

“You love him. Of course it does.”

No sense denying it. She did love him, heart and soul. Had, in fact, loved him since he’d had big ears, a bigger nose, and piercing blue eyes.

“Yeah.”

“Enough with the serious talk,” Erris decided. “We do not want you to start avoiding Valnica, because you are afraid this will happen every time you do visit. I have an idea. Rose, after we have eaten, would you perhaps make some of that tea Valnica keeps telling me about?”

“We have the herbs,” Valnica rushed to assure her. “If you wish to make the tea, that is.”

“Sure. Kind of a hit, is it?”

Erris nodded. “Everyone has started drinking it. We never might have tried it if you had not come along.”

“Trendsetter, me.”

“You are.”

“What I don’t understand, Val, is why you haven’t made the tea for him yet.”

Valnica blushed. “I do not know what I do wrong, but it never tastes like your tea, Rose.”

“It’s okay. You can watch me do it this time and then try the next, okay?”

“Thank you.”

Rose quickly finished up her food and then set about making tea, Valnica following her every move and noting aloud each step to both herself and Erris. With tea on the table and the dirty dishes in a pile to be cleaned, Rose took her seat and smiled while Valnica poured tea for them all.

“Dear Rose,” Erris began. “I would like to request only one more thing of you. Truthfully, my friend, there are two requests I might beg of you.”

“Alright. What are they?”

“You will leave one day soon. It is something we have known the entire time you have been with us. We did not want to acknowledge it, but we all knew.”

Rose looked at Valnica.

“It is true, Rose. We never doubted you would leave us.”

Her throat was getting tight. Good Lord.

“Your requests?”

“One, we wish for you to return and visit as often as you can.”

Valnica smiled. “It will not be the same, Rose, and we will miss you very much, but perhaps we will not be quite so saddened to see you go if you promise to visit us again.”

“Okay.” Rose swallowed and smiled. “And the other?”

“We ask your permission for my dearest Valnica to continue on in the role as a village mother. I suppose with you gone, she would become the only village mother. Only if you grant us permission, of course.”

“Erris, I would not want to take Rose’s title. She is _the_ village mother. I am _a_ village mother. There is a difference.”

“That’s fine. I actually think it’s a brilliant idea,” Rose said thoughtfully. “And Valnica, if _the_ village mother is gone, it only makes sense for you to take the role. Doesn’t it?”

Not that she really saw a difference between the words ‘the’ and ‘a,’ but whatever. If it made Valnica and Erris happy, she was willing to believe that changing one word in their shared titles made a difference.

“Are you quite sure, Rose?”

Valnica and Erris were both staring at her, looking uncertain and excited, respectively. Rose grinned.

“Yeah, Val, I am. Clearly, things run much smoother in the village with a babysitter around. Lahun’s told me so himself. Why shouldn’t you take over when I leave? And hey, I bet you’ll have no trouble finding someone to help you out if you want or need it… and you probably will at some point.”

“Oh, no,” Valnica spoke, looking worried. “I do not have your mind, Rose. What if I choose someone who is not worthy of caring for children on a daily basis?”

“I have no doubt you’ll do a fine job. You just have to believe in yourself.”

Erris nodded. “I agree with Rose, my sweetling. I trust her beliefs and I know you well. Rose is leaving this revered job to a woman more than capable of handling everything the work entails. You will be a perfect mother, Valnica.”

“Do you think so?”

“I do.”

“I do, too,” Rose added, though she was sure it was lost on the lovebirds. Too busy staring at each other, they were. “I’m just going to nip outside for some fresh air. Think I ate too much.”

Not a response. She rolled her eyes, grinned, and stepped from the hut. She saw some lights in the distance, following the road into town, and squinted her eyes to try to make out anything. Immediately, she could tell there were four people in the cart and most of them were women. Zalid, Erris’s best friend, ran out to meet the visitors and Darwol and Emzys soon went hurrying up to the group.

Not one of the visitors, she could tell now, were her Doctor. She had expected that. Who were these people, though? As she watched, Lahun and Mohild left their hut and met the visitors. Three women disembarked from the cart and Mohild excitedly greeted them all. Perhaps they were distant friends. Deciding she’d been spying for too long, Rose went back into Erris and Valnica’s hut.

“Hello, Rose. I was about to come look for you,” Erris informed her. “Did you hear something again?”

“I needed air, but I did see something. I think Mohild has visitors.”

Valnica perked up. “Visitors?”

“Well, I assumed so. I’ve never seen them before, but maybe they live here and have just been on vacation… or something… the entire time I’ve been here. Um, never mind.”

Erris stroked his beard. “Were these visitors three women? Perhaps an aged man, as well?”

“Yes! How did you know?”

“They are family. Mohild’s sisters, all unmarried still, but quite young compared to Mohild. The aged man is Mohild’s older brother. Mohild and Barloq share a mother.”

“And the younger sisters have a different mum,” Rose finished, catching on. “Mohild’s never mentioned them before.”

“They live in Festat with Barloq now and don’t often travel. Hesa, Mohild’s mother, has been gone of the world these thirty years. Juntus, their father, is much too aged to care for three young women and Fallah, the girls’ mother, is unable to settle their futures on her own. Her village law forbids women from handling such matters.”

“Oh, dear. So they live with Barloq, who is the next available male. Right?”

“You are correct.”

“Huh. That’s… still so strange to think about. Where I’m from, when a woman wants to get married, she just does it. She doesn’t need permission as long as she’s an adult.”

“Your village is strange, Rose. I think I would like to know more about it.”

Rose saw Valnica shake her head and Erris nodded once. Rose pretended she hadn’t seen any of that and began to say something vague, like they’d talk about it someday, but someone began hammering at the door. Rose frowned and Erris stood to answer.

It was Anper.

“Rose, come quick!”

“What? What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously. Anper grabbed her hand and began tugging her along, Valnica and Erris falling into step behind her. “Anper, what’s wrong?”

“We have visitors and Father wanted you to meet them.”

Rose sighed in relief. “Anper, you worried me. I thought something bad had happened.”

“I am sorry, ma’am.”

“None of that now,” she laughed and his wilted expression was chased away by a smile. “Better. These visitors. They’re your aunts and uncle? I mean, they’re your mother’s sisters and brother?”

“Yes! That was… cool,” he said uncertainly. “That you knew that about them was cool.”

“You said it right, sweetie. Erris told me who they might be.”

“Oh! Erris has not seen them since he was young. Father said so.”

“I’ll bet he’s excited, then.”

“Ah, here she is. Barloq, this is Rose. Rose, this is Barloq, Mohild’s brother. Niana, Ragib, Fasha, and Jifin are their younger sisters.”

“Hello,” Rose said kindly. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Lahun,” Barloq spoke up, wide-eyed. “Is she called Rose?”

“Yes, she is. Why do you ask?”

“The man I met is looking for a Rose. He described his woman in detail when we met outside the gates to Festat. Her description is similar to the appearance of your Rose and they both share the name. May I speak with her, Lahun?”

“She is not an unmarried woman, Barloq.”

Rose smiled at Lahun.

“Ah, I see. Rose, do you know of a man called the Doctor?”

“I do,” she said excitedly, grinning. “He’s looking for me. He asked you to pass along a message, as well, didn’t he?”

Barloq looked surprised. “He did. You have heard the message from other sources?”

“He’s asking everyone to pass it along. Yes, I have. Lahun, where is Festat?”

“It is further north than Rawtuq.”

“Oh. Well, they – they probably ran into each other a while ago. Don’t you think so?”

Valnica grabbed her hand, frowned sympathetically, and Rose sighed unhappily. Was the Doctor doubling back to the north?

“My dearest Rose, you and Valnica and Erris go along. I recommend a walk by the water to clear your mind. Would you consent to me telling your story to Barloq and the women?”

“That’s fine, yeah. I think I’m going to head home for the night, though. Val, will I see you in the morning?”

“Of course you will.”

“Good. And tomorrow’s another hunt, right, Lahun?”

“You are correct.”

“Lots to do, then. I’ll see you in the morning, everyone. Again, it was nice to meet you all.”

“Rose, are you alright?”

“Yes,” she fibbed. “Just need a little sleep. It’ll help clear my head, I think. Good night.”

“Good night.”


	9. Running

She instinctively knew she was still in Maylon, but she was in a new hut and… she wasn’t alone in bed.

Not even close.

There was a man behind her, his arm thrown over her waist, and his skin was somehow indescribably different from her own. She took comfort in the familiar sensation before curiosity finally made her look down at her heavy belly. She saw a distension that clearly meant she was far into a pregnancy. There were two children sleeping side by side within her arms and she took a moment to stroke their faces.

They were beautiful.

She knew it was a dream, one of her increasingly frequent and wonderful dreams, and she never wanted to wake up. Her dreams were always better than reality, after all. The man behind her shifted against her and then nuzzled the back of her neck.

“G’morning, Rose. I see you’re awake,” he said quietly. That was the Doctor’s voice. She loved that voice. He kissed the nape of her neck and sighed. “Sleep well?”

“Yeah. You sleep at all?”

“Mm. ‘bout half an hour. I was tired.”

“That will always be funny to me,” she mused, smiling. “Wish I could get away with half hour naps.”

A hand caressed her belly and she closed her eyes, feeling at peace.

“Where are we, Rose?”

“In Maylon, of course. At least I assume so. This is a new hut. It’s quite nice.”

The Doctor hummed, rubbed the tip of his nose along the line of her shoulder, and then rested his chin on her arm so he could see her. She smiled at him in turn.

“Rose, I know I’ve never said it, but you must know by now how I feel about you, right?”

She nodded. “I know. It doesn’t need saying.”

“I think it does,” he murmured. “Soon and as often as I can from now on, I think.”

“Well, suppose it might be nice to finally hear it. Knowing and being told are two different things.”

“You’re right. Rose… I… I-”

Rose shot straight up on her sleeping mat with a cry of pain and ripped her TARDIS key away from her skin. Her chest was cherry red where her key had just stung her and the bit of shirt that brushed against the skin when she reached up to remove the chain from around her neck felt red hot. She was in agony.

Her key hadn’t gone off in a while and it certainly had never hurt her this badly before. She would need to apply some salve if she didn’t want to get an infection. Lord, it was already starting to form one larger and several small boils. Nearly instantaneously.

An hour later, Rose was sitting in Treyslo’s hut and biting the side of her hand with tears in her eyes as Treyslo’s husband, Camtu, tended her burn. Lahun silently stood over them, his arms crossed over his chest, and Camtu briefly looked at his wife.

“She will be fine as long as she continues to do as I do once she departs my hut,” he said respectfully, eyes downcast but facing Lahun. “My wife will collect the herbs she will need to take away the pain.”

“Thank God,” she moaned around her hand. “Do I chew them, boil them, what?”

Camtu looked confused. “You will grind them.”

“It does not taste very good,” Lahun said in a quiet voice, “but it will take away the pain.”

“Well, that’s something.”

“Might you tell me what happened now?”

“Remember what I told you about my key?”

“I do. It has happened again?”

“Yeah. Yes. It’s a lot worse this time. I don’t know if that’s a good or bad thing. I'm choosing to think it’s good. Maybe that means he’s closer than those other times.”

Camtu finally stopped wrapping her chest in clean cloth and pinned it closed above her shoulder with an ovular hook. Rose tried to breathe shallowly and looked at Lahun hopefully, wishing he’d agree with her but knowing he wouldn’t.

“Our last information placed him in Keraco, which is beyond Festat, Rose.” She smiled at hearing the way he still pronounced her name and tried not to cry. Whether from the pain on her chest or in it was a mystery to her. “We are still sending out our own messages. He will eventually receive the news and then he will come for you.”

“I was never very patient,” she said, laughing weakly. “Really gotta work on that.”

Lahun disregarded her statement and instead helped her to her feet while meeting Camtu’s gaze.

“You will be repaid for your kindness, Camtu.”

“It is unnecessary.” He briefly looked at her and then focused on Lahun’s knees. “Treyslo informs me she is a good woman. I do not require anything.”

Lahun smiled at her and Rose rolled her eyes, which amused Lahun to no end.

“You will be repaid,” Lahun repeated. “Come, Rose. I will show you how to grind your herbs.”

“Good. I'm gonna need some of that. I hope it works.”

“I will bring more herbs later,” Treyslo promised. “I will need to gather some.”

Lahun nodded and accepted the cloth packet Camtu passed to him. What she wouldn’t give for a couple paracetamols. She thought her first headache was bad. That was nothing to this. Why had her key harmed her so much this time?

He _had_ to be close.

Or maybe the further away he got, the worse the shock got. She nearly sighed. That actually made a lot of bloody sense and it was frustrating.

She just wanted him back. Needed him back. She missed holding his hand, the tight hugs he’d give her for sometimes no good reason at all, the kisses he’d taken to pressing to her forehead before the Fyrecress, the laughs and smiles, being held in his arms when she was sad, all the running and adventures, how he’d always put his head in her lap when he was the one who was sad, the scent of his skin when he’d just gotten out of the shower, everything.

She missed _him._

For now, she had her dreams. They were nothing close to what their actual relationship was like, but he was there when she dreamt and it kept her going. One day, he’d finally show up in Maylon. She just had to be patient.

Yep, she needed a distraction. One that wasn’t focusing on the slightly dulled pain of the wound on her chest. Following Lahun into her hut, she cast about for an idea while he untied the cloth holding a small amount of leaves. An idea came to her and she smiled.

She would go for a run. She missed running with the Doctor and it wouldn’t be the same, but it would distraction enough… as long as those little leaves actually helped with her pain.

Maybe even if they didn’t. She couldn’t keep sitting around or spending inordinate amounts of time outdoors hoping to catch sight of a strange man. Oh, she hoped he hadn’t regenerated. She’d love him no less, she knew, but she’d grown very fond of his hair, his eyes, that smile, and oh, his bum. Goodness.

Right. Running. That needed to happen.

***

Weeks came and went and still there was no sign of the Doctor. Rose hadn’t anticipated anything else. More and more visitors passed through Maylon everyday with news of the Doctor’s whereabouts and it was never anywhere close.

It was disappointing but entirely expected. She hoped word reached him soon about _her_ whereabouts before she ended up running clean through a second pair of these little moccasins Val had made her. She’d had another dream last night. She and the Doctor had been at a celebration in the village and he’d tugged her over beyond the tree line for some naughtiness that never actually happened. He’d stopped touching her and kissing her to ask again where they were. She’d woken up feeling frustrated and sad and a little mopey.

Rose panted for breath and paced herself while keeping an eye out for anything that could trip her up. It had taken two whole weeks for the residents of Maylon to stop asking what she was running from anytime they caught sight of her, which had actually been incredibly amusing. She almost missed their questions and looks of concern.

Following the river, Rose slowed to a walk and sucked in a few deep breaths while filling the small clay jug she usually kept by her sleeping mat, something she’d fashioned herself so it was surprising it didn’t leak. It’d been getting progressively hotter the past few times she’d run and last time she’d been completely parched when she returned to her hut. She was glad she’d thought to grab it when she left earlier because she felt she was about to die of thirst.

It was while she was lifting the jug to her lips that Rose caught sight of a man by the path leading further into Maylon. It was the Doctor! He wasn’t wearing his suit, but she would recognize his body and that hair anywhere. A soft cry escaping her, she spilled the water down her front and the Doctor turned to her in concern.

Savage disappointment coursed through her. She’d been wrong. It wasn’t the Doctor at all. It was Barran.

“Are you okay, Rose?” The t-less roast. It still got her almost a year later. Blimey, how depressing. It’d been almost a full year. “Are you unwell? You have spilled your water.”

“I'm fine,” she called back. “You surprised me.”

“I apologize.”

Shaking her head, Rose decided to blame it on the dreams she’d been having for a while now. They’d started off one or two nights a week but now they were nightly and was sometimes more than one dream a night. It would explain her mix up. That or she was finally starting to lose it. Either were good explanations for why she’d thought Barran was the Doctor because the two looked nothing alike.

She needed to put it out of her mind. After running some more, Rose decided to wash up in the spring Erris had shown her and Valnica shortly before their wedding. The water was so clean and felt wonderful on her hot skin. She would worry about washing with soap later that evening. With no means of producing cool air, she’d only sweat again and she didn’t fancy going to bed like that.

At least it wasn’t their summer yet. The mornings and the evenings were lovely. It was just the afternoons that _sucked_. No, _Sucked_ with a capital S.

Rose had managed to put the incident out of her head until that evening at Lahun’s house. He’d invited her over for dinner and she had eagerly accepted. Mohild was an amazing cook and Rose had never had a bad meal from her.

Dinner had long since ended when Lahun followed her outside, intent upon walking her home like the giant, sweet, teddy bear he is. Rose was enjoying their comfortable silence when Lahun made a strange sound and stopped.

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I just saw a man I do not recognize. He was walking along the river.”

Rose nearly started hyperventilating and struggled to see the man Lahun claimed to have seen.

“Where is he? I can't see him.”

In the silence, Rose looked back at Lahun and frowned when she saw he looked confused. He shrugged.

“It was my imagination. There is only Feyrwen there.”

Her frown grew and she turned sad eyes back to the river. She scanned every last bit of the bank but was forced to admit there was, in fact, only Darfil’s little boy there. Likely gathering water and definitely not the Time Lord she wished he was. Her chest briefly ached and she rubbed the itchy remnants of her healing wound as if that would stop the pain she was feeling inside.

It was strange, though. This was the second time a weird occurrence had happened _that day_ and the second time hadn’t even been her. Was the Doctor somehow responsible? More likely, though, had Lahun simply seen a shadow cast upon the boy and she was just seeing him because she wanted to?

Right. Well, tomorrow, she would have several children to care for so that could distract her until late afternoon when she could go running again.

One thing was for certain. When the Doctor finally found her, she was going to be in the best shape of her life (and possibly half-mad, too).

***

Two mornings later, Valnica let herself in with a little “good morning” and started gathering shoes from the entrance of her hut.

“Sorry. They all just kind of tossed ‘em this morning,” she laughed. “Tea’s steeping over the fire if you want some.”

“Erris asked me to pass on a tale he heard from Lahun last night.” Valnica carefully poured herself a drink and continued, “A family came through with your Doctor’s story. He was in Kaliss.”

“That’s not close, is it?”

“No, it is not. It is further north than Monsot.”

She sighed deeply. “I figured. Did they happen to say anything else? Like if he’s heard our story or what he looks like or anything.”

“He is walking the roads and has an odd pack on his back. Erris says Lahun did indeed ask about your…” Valnica paused and looked uncertain as she said, “TARDIS,” in an exaggerated manner. Rose snickered. It had sounded cute. “They did not see any blue box. Certainly not one large enough for a man to stand within.”

“Oh, that’s sad. Why’s he carrying a pack, I wonder.”

“He has traversed Bortogue for months, Rose. He needs supplies. From what Erris told me, it is the brightest white anyone has ever seen. The whole family agreed to that. The mother asked how he kept it clean. Do you know?”

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen him carry any sort of bag like that.”

“How strange.”

She supposed it was.


	10. Reunited

“Bup, bup, bup,” Rose sang and clapped Craydon’s hands together. He let out a shaky laugh and she did it again. “Bup, bup, bup.”

Craydon gibbered at her a moment and she nodded as if she understood what he was saying. Pleased him well enough, though, so she smiled and readjusted him within the makeshift carrier on her chest. It was her free day, but she’d had another dream with the Doctor in it last night, one where she was pregnant again, and had woken up feeling unspeakably lonely.

She already knew Valnica had plans with her husband that day, plans Rose knew she wanted no part of even if Val hadn’t actually come out and said what they would be doing. She just knew how much Val and Erris wanted kids and a free day was few and far between for her and Val. Lahun and Mohild were also busy tending to affairs within the village but Mohild, bless her, had willingly let her have the baby.

“Bup, bup, bah,” she said and watched Craydon hold his hands up in front of him, fingers spread wide. She chuckled. “You are so cute.”

She got another gibberish response and smiled down at the baby staring at her.

Crouching down, Rose gathered up some big sticks that had fallen from one of the trees in her yard and heard a commotion coming from the village proper. How curious. Rose went back into the house to grab a thin scrap of fabric to drape over Craydon’s head so she could keep the sun off of him while she headed towards the village to investigate.

“Did your daddy or mummy mention another celebration or something?” she asked Craydon. “I thought they would have mentioned it. Oh, no. Wait. That doesn’t sound like a party.”

There was a whole lot of yelling and pounding feet. There were even a few screams. That sounded more like a fight. Was the village under attack? Rose hurried from her hut, hoping she would have enough time to get Craydon back to Mohild before whatever was going on came closer, but drew up short at the huge crowd of people surrounding her door and turning to look at her with wide smiles.

She was flabbergasted. This couldn’t be about the Doctor. Another traveler had passed through in the very early hours of the morning claiming the Doctor was now moving to the west of Bortogue.

“You lot scared the hell out of me,” she said, hands going around Craydon’s back. She rolled her eyes when it hit her. “If this is another attempt to throw me a birthday party, you can just let it go. I don’t need to… be… reminded…”

The Doctor was smiling exuberantly at her and the Maylonians parted as he walked closer. Was she imagining this, too? Rose barely registered Mohild stealing Craydon from her as the Doctor – oh, god, it was _him_ – swept her off her feet in a tight hug. He took all of ten seconds to look between Craydon, the baby carrier still wrapped around her chest, back to Craydon, the people around them, her belly, and finally her face before snogging the holy hell out of her.

He’d never done that before. She was breathless and slightly bewildered when he pulled back and laughed ecstatically. After squeezing her tightly, he kissed her again and Rose vaguely heard Lahun laugh.

“I told you I would come for you,” he breathed into her mouth, sounding as joyful as she felt. “I have missed you so much.”

“Rose,” Mohild called. Rose looked over, the Doctor briefly glancing down at her before doing the same. “I am keeping my son now. You may see him later if you wish.”

Rose let out a happy, teary laugh at the same time the Doctor hugged her close and laughed against her temple. Lahun wordlessly directed the crowd away from her hut, nodded at her, eyeballed the Doctor seriously, and then guided his wife and children back to his own hut.

“You’re alive.” A quiet sob of happiness escaped her and the Doctor leaned back to smile at her. “I missed you.”

“So did I. I – Rose, I – Oh, sod this.”

The Doctor pressed his lips to hers in a hard kiss and Rose clutched desperately at his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair, panted sharply through her nose. She couldn’t stop touching him. It’d been nearly a year since she’d seen him and he was alive and he was kissing her, too! Was she asleep?

No!

When his hands moved from loosely cupping her hips to a possessive grip on her bum, Rose gasped into his mouth and felt him guiding her backwards. He caught her up before she could trip over the raised dirt below her door, kicked the door shut, and spun them around to press her into the wall. She tugged his head down to catch his lips once more and thrilled at the low groan he made when he began rocking into her. Rose clutched at his hips and ground against him with a desperation that should have embarrassed her except he instantly started hardening and breathing more and more heavily the longer they moved.

"Here?" he asked. Her eyes nearly crossed. She pushed his shirt up and over his head in response.

Sucking in a sharp breath, he started pushing and pulling at their clothing and then lifted her up, roughly shoving her into the wall and holding her there with his upper body while he blindly lined himself up with her entrance. Without a word, he thrust in all the way, his mouth dropping open and expression becoming one of absolute pleasure, and a ragged breath escaped him. Moaning against his cheek, Rose swore she would never forget the way he'd just looked.

As he picked up a rhythm that felt perfect, Rose ran her hands over his face, felt his sideburns rasping against her palms, teased the hair at his temples with her fingertips, and pressed a hard kiss to his forehead. Time quickly lost all meaning for her. When she began to cry out to the ceiling, his knees seemed to give up and she suddenly found herself seated in his lap and eagerly lifted up and dropped back down, enjoying the fullness within her as he helped raise her up and yanked her down over and over again.

Rose caught his lips a tad messily and he groaned while tipping them backwards. Her chest pressed to his and his tongue in her mouth, Rose let out a high-pitched whimper and the Doctor cocked his hips up faster, his legs cradled around her, at the same time he pressed her down onto him. She tried to pull back, to sit up so she could maybe see him, but he buried his free hand into her hair. Smiling into their kiss, Rose followed the pressure he was exerting on her bum and cocked her hips faster while he doubled the pace of his thrusting. He didn't seem inclined to let her move out of his arms and it was so sweet. Perfect.

"Missed you," she managed to get out. His mouth swallowed her words and hers took in his answering growl. A jolt of intense arousal went straight through her and she clenched, tearing a soft cry from him. She couldn't and this time wouldn't stop herself from saying, "I love you."

In the blink of an eye, she was on her back and the Doctor was molding himself to her shoulder to hip. He thrust in as deeply as he could and she jerked back with a loud moan. Her eyes began to sting a little when he caught up her hand, wove their fingers together, and pressed their clasped hands into the dirt floor at her shoulder. Rose grasped his shoulder with her free hand and the Doctor tucked his face into the side of her neck.

“I love you, too,” he whispered, voice barely louder than the sounds of their joining.

Though she laughed, the sound was a bit watery and she could feel that stinging in her eye become more pronounced. When she tilted her head up to kiss his shoulder, a tear spilled down her cheek, wetting his skin. The Doctor started driving into her fast and deep and Rose struggled to ignore her tightening legs and curling toes. Instead, she focused on the taste of the Doctor’s sweaty skin, how he felt on top of and inside of her, the breath being panted against her neck, and his natural musky scent.

She beat him by mere seconds. Her body tightening, an almost violent climax ravaged through her like a typhoon and Rose convulsed and cried out loudly, her head pressed into the dirt below her and her hand scrabbling at the Doctor’s shoulder. Body arching up from her just a bit, the Doctor followed right behind, driving himself deep into her body and yelling into the side of her neck, his grip on her hand tight enough to hurt. After that initial shout, he merely huffed out a sharp, quiet moan with every thrust of his hips, barely pulling back between each. His opened mouth brushing her skin and hot breath ruffling her hair made her shiver. Tensing even more than he had been, he looked at her body, seeming first perplexed and then awed, before shaking his head with a surprised, breathless laugh.

Groaning deeply, he collapsed against her, his hold loosened on her hand, and Rose moved her free arm to the middle of his back to hug him close. He squeezed their clasped hands in response and she smiled before turning her head somewhat awkwardly so she could kiss his cheek. When she went to pull away, he leaned up just enough to catch her lips with his.

“I love you,” she breathed against his mouth, thrilled she could say it if only for now, “but you weigh a ton.”

A surprised, tired-sounding laugh slipped from him as he rolled over and tugged her with him. Rose settled onto one side of his chest and the Doctor dragged one of her legs between his while wrapping his other arm around her and kissing her deeply. The kiss eventually tapered off to a chaste press of lip to lip and Rose saw his eyes were closed and there was a peaceful smile on his lips. The hand on her thigh slid up, gently gripped her bum, and then massaged it for a second before going still.

“Jackie is going to kill me.”

Rose looked at his serene expression in surprise. He looked two seconds away from passing out.

“Mum already thinks we’ve been doing this since I took off with you ages ago. Like the moment I stepped through the door of the TARDIS, I think. Why do you think she would kill you now?”

“I’d wondered and I'm not surprised.” Exactly one eye opened and focused on her long enough for him to say, “for several reasons, I think. The most important of which is the fact we’ve been separated for nearly a full year, Rose.” His eye again closed and he sighed, looking upset. “A terrible year. We need to tell your mother. Her reaction will be ten times worse if she finds out later down the road that we kept it from her.”

Nodding, Rose studied him and then frowned, her fingers combing through the hair on his chest. Also, yum. She’d known this Doctor had chest hair… and tummy hair, but this was the first time she’d been allowed to touch it.

“Are we gonna tell her about this, too?”

“Should think so. Did just traverse an entire planet for months and months on end to find you, told you I love you, and quite literally shagged myself into exhaustion.” Eyes closed, his brows arched. “I’d be disappointed you’re not in a similar state, but you’ve likely been sleeping.”

“Have you not?” A sort of ambiguous hum escaped him and Rose frowned. “How long did you put it off?”

The Doctor let out an airy snort. “Which time? I cared more about finding you than sleeping. Sleeping is boring.”

“Not for me. I had good dreams.”

“Of me?”

“Yeah,” she admitted. “They were nice.”

“I’d hoped so,” he replied softly. “I did, as well, when I absolutely could not put off sleep any longer.”

“About me, too?”

The Doctor hummed. “We couldn’t find you on the scans because you hid very well, but the TARDIS was still able to get in your head enough to show me your dreams while I slept and she showed you mine when you did the same.” Rose sat up and stared at him in surprise and slight trepidation. She’d been pregnant in a couple of those dreams. “I'm sorry. I know how you feel about people being in your mind.”

“She showed you my dreams?”

“She showed you mine, too.” The Doctor bent his opposite leg at the knee, tugged her back down onto his chest, and kissed her forehead. A small smile crossed his lips. “When you told me we were in Maylon, I thought I’d made it up.”

Rose held absolutely still. She didn’t want to react at all in case it spooked him or anything.

“You saw that dream, too?”

“It was my own dream, Rose.” Her eyes widened. “At least I thought it was. When I woke up, I ran Maylon through the TARDIS to see if it was even real and by the gods, it was. However, I couldn’t be certain I hadn’t held onto the name from a passing traveler while I was out looking for you. It wasn’t until the next time I slept that I knew. There was a party, I asked where we were, and you again said Maylon.”

“Wait.” There were several things she wanted to ask about but the main one was, “Did we share those dreams?”

“A few, I think. Those specific two, yes, I do believe.”

“I was pregnant in a few of those,” she blurted out and then blushed. “It was just a dream.”

“Yes, you were.” The Doctor snickered. “Briefly, when I first saw you earlier, I thought those had come from you. The TARDIS was able to use your key to sort of home in on your location but I didn’t like doing it. It can be shocking.”

Had he just… Had those dreams been his doing? Did he dream about them – No, what did he just say about her key?

“Is that why my key kept hurting me?”

The Doctor finally opened both eyes and looked at her in concern. She leaned up and pointed at the nearly healed wound on her chest. He grimaced deeply.

“Seems she didn’t listen to me. I think she missed you as much as I did. After the last dream we shared, I decided to look into Maylon some more. I didn’t want to abandon my search in the western part of Bortogue just in case you had gone that way so I sort of… highjacked a few people’s minds.”

“Normally, I would disapprove so much of that, Doctor. I hope you know that.”

“I do. With the TARDIS’s help, of course, I was able to temporarily take control of a few people known to associate with the village. Such as the village elder, a tradesman I’d heard about in Rosyov, and a woman who claimed to know someone who’d lost her father to the Fyrecress and moved to the village.”

“That’s Val,” Rose said in surprise. The Doctor cocked his head at her. “Valnica.”

“The name seems familiar.” He shook his head. “I’ve never done that before and I'm not entirely sure what I was hoping to get from it.”

“Wait a minute. You said you took control of the village elder, right?”

“Just his mind. I had no control of his body. More like just his eyes really. I suppose I was hoping to catch a glimpse of you or see a sign that you’d been there.”

“He saw a man at the river. Doctor, the night my key did this,” she said and pointed at her chest, “Lahun saw a man at the river, but it turned out to be a little boy who made my necklace.”

The Doctor eyed her beaded necklace. “It’s beautiful. I was never physically in Maylon. You’re saying he might have seen me?”

“Maybe. He didn’t describe you, but earlier that day, _I_ saw you, but it wasn’t you. It was a man named Barran.”

“Let me guess.” The Doctor smiled. “A tradesman?”

“Yeah.”

He chuckled. “So, I was trying to see you but you lot were seeing me instead. That’s amusing.”

“I think so, yeah.” Rose relaxed once more and looked up at the Doctor. “If you never saw me, why did you come?”

“Oh, I suppose I never got the chance to tell you, did I?”

“We… sort of didn’t do a lot of talking before.”

Nodding, the Doctor looked a bit far off for a moment and then one side of his mouth quirked.

“Shame. Wouldn’t change things if I could, though.”

“Me, either.” She hoped he didn’t notice how breathless she sounded. “So, what happened?”

“This morning, in Pailay, I told three people my story about you and that last person I told, a kind young woman named Greega, had a story for me. She had received word from her beau in Festat, a man she called Duskan, that his neighbor's sister's husband was the village elder in Maylon and that he had a Rose waiting for a Doctor. She was asked to pass the story on, as well."

Rose gasped. "It did reach you, then?"

"It did. I thanked her from the bottom of my hearts, which I think confused her, bid her adieu, and came straight here. Well, sort of. The TARDIS had a bit of trouble landing here, but she's fine." Rose nodded, relaxing, and he smiled at her. "That was brilliant."

"It was all Lahun."

"He's a nice bloke. He saw me coming and swooped right down on me with a big smile. Knew me immediately."

"He probably recognized you from that night at the river. Plus, you're not a Maylonian."

"Both true." The Doctor sighed. "I need to sleep. I don't want to, but it's necessary if you don't want me to doze off and fly us into a black hole."

He’d come straight to her rather than take his little nap first? She couldn’t help but smile.

"I'd be more worried about crashing into something than landing in a black hole. Your people invented those things, remember?" The Doctor chuckled and Rose climbed to her feet. "Let's sleep here. We can get cleaned up and say goodbye and everything when we wake up."

The Doctor slowly nodded, stood, and followed her to her sleeping mat. When they were laying down once more and she was back in his arms, she noticed how concerned he looked. He frowned when she furrowed her brows in question.

“Will you be okay? You made a life for yourself here.”

Rose sighed. Ahh. “It’ll be hard at first, I think. I’ll miss everyone. Probably a lot for a while, but we all knew I wouldn’t be here forever. Val said it was like a really long vacation. They probably already know I’ll be leaving before the end of the day now you’ve found me.”

“We can come back to visit if you’d like,” the Doctor offered hesitantly. “Oh. I’ve just realized I keep stealing you away from the lives you keep making for yourself. London, here. I'm sorry.”

“Stealing,” Rose said and snorted. “I ran to you that first time, Doctor.”

“I rather like that.” The Doctor looked to the ceiling and mused, “Rose Tyler ran to me.”

“So you could sweep me off my feet.” Quite literally a time or two, in fact. “And whisk me off to all sorts of places. Just you, me, and the TARDIS.”

A happy hum vibrated against her temple as the Doctor hugged her close. She closed her eyes and heard him sigh.

“Sounds perfect to me. Ehm, this seems an appropriate moment to mention this. Something… happened when we finished making love earlier. Um, something you might be concerned about.”

Making love. Her heartbeat tripped. She loved that more than she could ever say. Oh, but that did make her think.

“We forgot to use anything. Is that why you tensed up like that?”

“Yes, I didn’t think it was necessary,” he said carefully. She hummed and heard him clear his throat. “The curse. The sterility. I’ve told you about that.”

“Mhmm. Well, I'm clean. You don’t have any sort of alien diseases I should worry about, do you?”

“No, Rose,” the Doctor chuckled. “I wouldn’t have dived in head-first without making sure I was keeping you safe if I did.”

She snickered but decided not to speak the thought she’d just had because it was quite rude and she honestly wasn’t sure how it would be received.

“Appreciate it.” He never actually said what was bothering him, though, had he? Rose frowned. “So, if you’re not worried about babies or diseases, what’s the problem? Not regretting it, are you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Rose. Of course I'm not.” The Doctor huffed but his voice had gentled when he said, “there seems to be an issue I think we need to discuss. A misunderstanding. One you might be upset about.”

“Should I be sitting up for this one? Better, should I be dressed?”

“Um, I might need to be,” the Doctor said nervously. “Ahh, okay, lemme think of a good way to say this.”

“If you’re about to say you don’t love me like-”

“Hush. That’s not what I'm going to say and it would be horribly distasteful to take back something like that when we’re both still nude. Not that I plan to so relax.”

“Good,” she breathed. Opening her eyes, she sat up and looked down at the Doctor. Jesus, he looked so uncomfortable and that was surprising. “What’s going on?”

“Mmmmm. There’s a chance I might not be as sterile as I thought. Like, um, maybe a 100% chance.”

Her brows arched. “What? You’ve told me before and just said it again that you can't, uh, have any more children.”

“Um.” He bit his lip. “Well, the thing is, maybe probably I was mistaken?”

“Okay, hold on, Doctor. What makes you think all of a sudden that you aren’t? What happened inside your head earlier?”

“You know about my time sense, right?”

“Yeah. And?”

“I felt… several possible timelines spring up in the back of my mind and it was startling enough that I paid attention. Normally, I block that information out unless I'm curious.”

“Right. You’ve said that. So, that’s why you think you can now?”

“Well, it’s just us in here, Rose, and they popped in here,” he said and pointed at his temple, “when I was ejaculating. Seems a tad too coincidental for my taste.

“Ah. Oh. Um.” Maybe focus less on the Doctor saying ejaculating and more on what he was telling her. “You don’t think I'm…”

“Pffft. Wouldn't know yet. I'm not that good.” He looked up at the ceiling and blew out a breath. “Won't know until those timelines disappear or one, ehm, takes hold.”

“Well, that’s handy,” she finally said. Lips pressed together, the Doctor exhaled sharply. He had yet to look at her. “Guess I won't need a pregnancy test later, huh?”

“Mm, no, you won't.”

He popped his lips together and she gave him a look.

“I'm not mad, you know. You don’t have to keep looking away.”

He peeked at her. “I'm sorry.”

“This can't be the first time you’ve had sex before, Doctor. Not even in this body. I remember Madame de Pompadour.”

“Really wish you wouldn’t bring _her_ up,” he muttered to himself. “Not while we’re discussing how I might have gotten myself into trouble. Feel like it might make it worse.”

“Doctor.” Rose rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t mad then and I'm not mad now. She was gorgeous. I’d have shagged her, too.”

“It wasn’t a full shag. Just a bit of… oral.” His eyes narrowed and he grimaced at her. “There’s a reason the king kept her around. She knows what she’s doing.”

Rose arched her brows again. “Good for her. Like I said, I'm not mad. I'm just saying I know you’ve had sex before. How have you just now realized you might not be shooting blanks?”

“Ick. I don’t like guns and I don’t like _that_ metaphor at all.”

“Then don’t say it and I’ll try to remember not to say it ever again. So how did you not realize it?”

“There’s always been something else going on. Invasion, fighting, worrying about finding some part for the TARDIS, wondering where my granddaughter is, speculating about why Mickey keeps staring at your bum, stuff like that. I was completely at peace earlier. Nothing on my mind except you and me and what we were doing. Made it a lot more noticeable.”

“Huh. That makes sense. Well, let me know if one of those timelines takes hold like you said. I'm gonna take a nap.”

He blinked at her. “That’s all you’re going to say? I might have just accidentally impregnated you and all you have to say is I should let you know if it took?”

“What is worrying going to do? And at least you’re not hideous or Hitler or something.” Rose shrugged and stretched out on her tummy. She turned her head to see the Doctor’s magnificent frown. “What? Would you feel better if I berated you for not thinking about using any protection? Because that’s just silly. I didn’t think about it, either.”

“You’re being incredibly understanding about possibly carrying an alien hybrid inside of you.”

“Why should that bother me?” she asked, eyes closing. “I just let a full alien shag me rotten and it was brilliant.”

She grinned and the Doctor sighed.

“Rose.”

“We can worry about it later on if I am. I can't imagine we’ll have to worry about it long. Probably shouldn’t, right? Not with the life we have.” Rose bit her lip in the silence. He wasn’t saying anything. “I mean, if we catch it soon enough, it won't really be like aborting, don’t you think? Just getting rid of a few extra cells.”

A quiet breath sounded by her ear. She couldn’t quite pinpoint whether it sounded relieved or not. Baffling.

“That would be for the best.”

“Right.” Relieved, then. “Stop thinking about it, Doctor. Focusing on it will make you crazy.”

“I can't. All of their potential lives seem incredible.” She opened her eyes in surprise and sat up on her elbows. The Doctor met her gaze. “This one grows up to have a voice like Frank Sinatra and he knows how to use it.”

“Really?”

“Yes. This one is able to copy a Van Gogh well enough that no one can tell it’s a fake.” He abruptly grimaced. “No, I don’t like that.”

Rose laughed a little breathlessly. “What else?”

“This one…” He smiled and held eye contact. “She looks like you but she can handle the TARDIS better than me. Oh. _OH_! I _am_ driving on the brake.”

“Oh, no,” Rose laughed. “That’s so funny.”

The Doctor rubbed one pink cheek. “Remind me to fix that later, Rose.”

“I will.” He was still looking at her, but his gaze seemed distant and she wondered what he was seeing. She swallowed. “What else?”

“This one grows up to be a good, very good man. He wants to be a teacher. Can't imagine it, having the universe at your fingertips but wanting to settle down and teach.”

“Let him live his life, Doctor.” The Doctor gave her a sad look, his head slightly cocked and brows furrowed just a bit, and a small breath escaped her. “Oh, right. Probably not the best wording.”

“Probably not.” Rose rested her chin on the backs of her hands and stared at the Doctor, who still seemed to be galaxies away in his own mind. “What else do you see?”

“A little girl who loves tap dancing,” he said fondly. “And a boy – oh, he’d have been one of a pair of twins – the TARDIS somehow plays hide and seek with.”

“That is so cute,” she breathed, mostly to herself. “Are they very cute? I imagine they would be.”

“Yes.”

Rose hummed and watched the Doctor some more. He yawned and she remembered he’d wanted a nap, but he was still just looking through those timelines. Unsure whether this was allowed since they’d not actually talked about what they’d done or how it might affect their friendship, Rose leaned over and kissed him on the lips. Then again, he’d kissed her once they’d laid out on her sleeping mat so maybe…

He didn’t move for exactly two seconds and then sighed while hauling her onto his chest. When he pulled back, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and then Rose laid her head on his chest, the sound of his hearts beating away below her ear.

“You needed to sleep.”

“I will.”

“Are you still looking at them?”

“This one could have been a Time Lord,” he said in answer. “He reminds me of your father in a way.”

Rose mouthed, ‘oh, my god,’ and closed her eyes. She would have loved having a baby that reminded her of her father. Her mum always said she looked like her great-gran and it still made her smile when she thought about it.

“That would have been great, Doctor.”

“Mmm. Oh, here’s a chef. He only ever cooks for us, though. It would have driven you mad that he never used his talents beyond as a hobby.”

“It would have.”

“I know. I'm seeing it.” Rose stroked the Doctor’s pec, taking care to avoid brushing his nipple, and hoped he’d say more, which he did after maybe a minute or two. “This one is trying to teach you our language.”

“Really? Am I doing well?”

“You can write some, read a bit more, and you can understand some things when spoken. It’s much more than I expected, though. Humans in particular have difficulties with it. Tongues aren’t made for it.”

“I would have loved to learn.”

The Doctor rubbed her back and she frowned. Maybe one day, if this wasn’t a one off and she did get pregnant, they could revisit this subject. She dreamt about having children with this man and hearing about the potential lives of the baby she wouldn’t be having right now was equally thrilling and upsetting.

“Little girl who wants to grow up to become an actual doctor,” he said with a breathy snort. “What an imp. She delights in telling me that all the time.”

“Does she become a doctor?”

“She does. She specializes in animal care on Ursu. She has always been fascinated by the palaphata native to that planet.”

“The bull-like things, right?”

“Exactly.”

"Oh, I wouldn't have liked that."

"I know. She knows it, too." The Doctor briefly furrowed his brows. "I meant would have known."

Rose nodded. "Tell me more? Is there one that looks like my first you?"

"I've seen my features here and there but not an exact likeness. I'm seeing a lot more of you than any of me."

"You mean all of the past yous?"

"Mhmm. I rather fancy them taking after you, anyway. Their features fit them. Oh. Oh, no. Noo. Rose, here's one that looks like your mum."

Her eyes stung. "Really? What's she like?"

" _He_ ," he said pointedly, "has already read one-hundred sixty-three books and he's not even fully potty-trained yet."

She would not cry. She could imagine that little boy, but she would not cry about the life he wouldn't get to live. She wouldn’t.

"What else? Is he a know-it-all like his daddy?"

"Sassy, too."

"Oh."

"I'll stop talking about this. I'm sorry." He wiped her cheek and she realized she'd been crying, after all. Stupid, traitorous body. "I didn't mean to bother you, Rose."

"You're not. I just imagined him and he sounded wonderful."

"He would have been," he murmured. "Perfect, too, I think."

"Right."

"No sense thinking about it, like you said. Let's sleep. I'm sure we'll be here late so you can say your proper goodbyes."

Rose nodded. "Probably. I'll be surprised if Mohild and Lahun don't throw together a party. They're always celebrating something."

"We'll visit. Whenever you want, just ask."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Rose. Anything to make you happy."

Rose pulled in and pushed out a deep breath and realized after a while that the Doctor was still awake.

"I thought you'd be sleeping by now. I can tell you're tired."

"I will be shortly. Just... thinking."

"Still looking?" He didn't answer and she nodded. "Doctor, it's okay to - I mean, we're not going to have a baby, because it's a bad idea bringing... not that we or even you wanted to have... I just - it's okay I'm a little sad I'll never meet any of them, right?"

In the ensuing silence, the Doctor let out a sigh and tightened his arms around her.

"Yes, it is. Any one of them would have been beautiful, little souls."

"Good. I felt a little silly for a second there."

"Don't feel that way. Maybe you’re not the only one who's a little sad. Seeing how they grow up, what they would have looked like… I think it’s only natural we would be sad about not meeting them, don’t you?”

“Yeah. That makes me feel better.”

“I'm glad.”

“How…” Rose bit her lip and swallowed before continuing. “How soon will you know?”

“It depends. From what I’ve read regarding human pregnancy, which is a fascinating subject, by the way, by now, it’s been just about long enough for the sperm cells to have made it where they need to go.”

“Okay.”

“If there’s already an egg waiting, it’ll be another seven or so hours before any attempts at fertilization can begin. I'm sure you know this already.”

She shook her head. “I know the gist of things, but I’ve never looked into the specific timeline of the whole thing. I know more about pregnancy than the conception bit.”

“Ah. Alright. Um, then it’s as I said. It’ll take about seven hours or so, but if there isn’t an egg yet or it’s too late in your cycle – Where are you? It might be too late.”

“Still have about two weeks but I can't be too sure. It’s been hard to track.”

“Right. Of course.” The Doctor rubbed his mouth and his brows quirked downwards as he met her gaze. “Well, once the sperm starts trying to penetrate the egg, it’ll take a full twenty-four hours for fertilization to be completed. So, to answer your question, I could know as soon as tomorrow but no later than five or six days from now. The sperm won’t survive beyond that point.”

“That’s a relief. I’d hate for us to have to sit around for two weeks waiting to know if I’d gotten pregnant or not.”

“Yes, I can imagine how trying that would be. If-” The Doctor’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat. “If you do end up conceiving, what are we doing?”

“Well, we can't keep it.”

To her mortification, that came out sounding like a question.

“No, yes, you did say that. That’s right.”

“Right. It’d be different if the baby was an adult or something. Wouldn’t be too bad having it on the TARDIS, then, I think, ‘cause you said you used to travel with family before.”

“I have. It would be easier living and traveling with a grown child, that is true."

They both fell silent and Rose nibbled on her bottom lip. The entire time they'd been discussing this, she realized, he'd not once said how he felt or what he thought they should do if there did end up being something to worry about. Curious. The man had an opinion on everything but this, apparently. She should at least ask, right?

"How do you feel?"

"About what specifically? Your potential pregnancy, the timelines in my head, or traveling with my family? We've discussed it all."

"The pregnancy. You never said and I don't think it's fair to consider anything without getting your input. It wouldn't be just my decision, you know."

The Doctor's brows rose. "Is there a decision to be made here? You made an excellent point before. It wouldn't be a good idea to bring a child into our lives considering how often we land in trouble. A child who is fully grown could somewhat fend for itself. An infant not so much."

"That didn't technically tell me how you felt about it," she pointed out hesitantly. "Ignoring all of that, how would you feel?"

"How would I feel?" Rose nodded and the Doctor shrugged. "I loved being a father. I can't imagine that would have changed."

"And again..."

"I'm aware I didn't answer your question. Not really." The corners of his lips curled. "I feel I'd be proud of the person the child would have been."

"Would have?"

"What are you looking for, Rose?" the Doctor asked softly, a finger lifting her chin. “Talk to me.”

The only way to get answers was to be brave and ask.

“Alright. How would you really feel if I got pregnant? Would you be upset? Would you be happy? What would you want to do about the pregnancy? I mean, would you want me to keep it or not? And tell me really, Doctor, not what you think I’d want to do.”

“Those are very good questions.” The Doctor licked his lip. “I would like to know the same of you, since you’re asking.”

“Seems fair.”

Silence followed her question. She looked at him pointedly, waiting for an answer to even one of her questions, and he cocked his head.

“Would it be easier for me to…” He double tapped her temple with a featherlight touch. “The door goes both ways. Might be easier that way.”

“Actually, that sounds bloody brilliant.” Nodding, he sat up and she did the same, sitting cross-legged across from each other. He clasped her hand and reached out towards her temple with his other hand, but she wrapped her hand around the side of his arm. “What do I do? How will I know where to look or even what I'm seeing?”

“You don’t need to worry about that. Those thoughts are at the forefront of my mind. You’ll know what you’re seeing and feeling.”

“Okay.” She stupidly felt nervous. “Should I be focusing on mine?”

“You can, but it will make little difference. I’ll be able to find what I need with or without your help. Strong telepath here.”

“Okay,” she repeated. “Do I need to… How – how do I get inside?”

The Doctor chuckled. “Rose, relax. Just follow the pull.”

She nodded and the Doctor pressed his fingers to her temple. She immediately felt him inside of her mind and had a brief moment of her head feeling too full, a little stuffy. Like she was taking in too much all at once. Swallowing, she met his gaze and the full feeling receded a bit.

“Oh, that’s better,” she whispered. “Tad strange at first.”

Eyes locked to hers, the Doctor nodded minutely and Rose felt something calling to her mind, sort of like it was crooking a finger at her begging her to follow. She followed its beckoning and had to shut her eyes when she found herself abruptly inside of the Doctor’s mind. It was overwhelming. There were thoughts and memories and emotions everywhere.

She felt dizzy for a moment but then she found what she was looking for and found she could open her eyes again. She was vaguely aware she was looking into the Doctor’s eyes again, but it didn’t quite register.

Happiness. _I’d love to be a father again._ Sadness. _Let it live. Let him live his life. Let her live._ Elation. _I can be a father again!_ Surprise. _I can be a father again._ Worry. _No choice, no choice…_ Memories of dreams shared. _Rose. Our children. Belly so full. My child._ Concern. _How does she feel? How does she feel?_ Love. _Rose, Rose, Rose._ Regret. _So many potential children… exhilarating lives… Lives lost._ Pain. _I was a father once. Miss them. Miss them. Miss them._ Desire. _Rose, Rose, Rose. Breathtaking Rose._ Confusion. _Not sterile. Something happened…_ Longing _. Keep it, keep it, don’t abort, keep it, keep it…_ Joy. _Finally touched her, finally kissed her. Want her. Want more. Want it all._

When his thoughts looped back to happiness, Rose somehow found a way to retreat from his mind the same way she’d entered. It was eerie how in tune his thoughts and feelings had been with her own. Focusing once more, Rose realized his hand was now just cupping her cheek and he was giving her a soft smile.

“Thank you for sharing that with me. Your mind is beautiful.”

“A mind can be beautiful?” He nodded and didn’t stop smiling or drop his hand. “Well, you’d know, I suppose.”

“I would.”

“So… should we talk about it?”

“What is there to say? We both feel the same way.”

Rose swallowed. “Good.”

“I’ll say.” His smile grew and he tugged her close, awkwardly hugging her, before kissing her temple. She felt a brief flash of an intense emotion, love or perhaps adoration, and it stole her breath a moment. “We’ll figure things out later. I'm exhausted, Rose. I need to sleep.”

“You think you’ll be able to now?”

“Like a baby,” the Doctor said, grinning at her, and stretched out on his back. “Will you be able to nap? I don’t want to be able to finally get you back on the TARDIS only to have you fall asleep the moment we walk through the door.”

“I’ll try to sleep. Have a way you can help me get there?”

The Doctor looked surprised. “Do you mean in a naughty way?”

“I meant in my head or – Do you?”

Chuckling deeply, the Doctor pulled her down onto his chest and pressed a lingering kiss to her lips.

“I could. Manipulating your mind into thinking you’re tired enough to sleep would be faster. I can do whatever you’d like.”

She was sorely tempted to take him up on that naughty offer, whatever it ended up being, because she knew it would be tremendous, but she had to admit he looked as exhausted as he claimed.

“We’ll do the mind thing now.” She paused and bravely added, “We can do the naughty one later if you want.”

“Oh, I want,” he assured her, brows arched. “Make yourself comfortable.”

After hesitating a brief moment, Rose curled into his side, draped an arm over his tummy, and then settled her leg back over his closest leg as casually as she possibly could. He was smiling at her when she glanced up.

“It’s comfortable,” she said defensively. His smile grew and he chuckled. “Don’t laugh at me.”

She went to remove her leg, but he caught up her thigh.

“I like it, Rose. Don’t move.” She relaxed against him and felt his arm around her back, holding her close. “Are you comfortable?”

“Yeah. Could probably sleep if I wait long enough.”

“Fortunately, you don’t have to do that.” He met her gaze with a small smile. “Would you like fast or fun?”

“Fast or fun?”

“Yes. Would you like to fall asleep fast or do you want the fun way?”

“Like slow?”

“Mm, no, not really.”

“Alright. Curious. I’ll take fun.”

“You’re sure? Absolutely positive you want the fun way?”

“Uh, maybe yeah?”

A closed-mouth chuckle escaped him and he nodded.

“Alright. You might want to brace yourself.”

“I'm worried now.”

“Don’t be. You know I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“That’s true.”

“Good.” The Doctor leaned forward to kiss her forehead before relaxing back onto her sleeping mat and lifting his fingers to her temple. “Goodnight, Rose.”

“Goodnight, Doctor.”

He was acting strange. Was she going to just keel over and not wake up for hours or – Oh, he was in her head again. She sent a wordless acknowledgement out to him, felt amusement spark from all around her, and then her mind lit up like a thousand lights.

Pleasure ricocheted off the walls of her mind, passed through her, and hit the walls once more before repeating the process over and over again.

She heard a single thought in her mind right before everything went black and she knew no more.

_Sleep well, my Rose._


	11. Epilogue

On the two-year anniversary of the day that the Doctor was finally reunited with Rose, they returned to Bortogue to celebrate with the people of Maylon.

The Doctor’s arm around her shoulders, Rose strolled through the yellow grass that grew wild outside of the village and readjusted her arms around the slight weight on her chest. Looking down, the Doctor smiled and squeezed her closer for a moment. She felt a kiss to the top of her head as she paused for breath.

“So, your daddy scoured all of Bortogue,” she said to their sleeping newborn. “He was desperate to get Mummy back, you see, but your mummy had hid very well.”

“Rose,” the Doctor whispered, “you’ll wake him.”

“He loves this story. It always puts him to sleep.”

“And now he is, you precious woman. Let’s not risk another tantrum.” He gave her a look. “He gets that from your mother, you know.”

“Oh, hush about my mum.” The Doctor chuckled noiselessly and she shook her head at him, smiling. “Incorrigible.”

“Ahh, we _have_ met. Hello.” Rose reached up and lightly slapped his hand, which earned her a snicker. “Maybe once or twice, I suppose.”

“Yes. Once before, I think. Unfortunately, now I'm stuck with you because of him.” Rose pointed towards the baby and smiled at the proud grin the Doctor directed at their son. “Smug, as usual.”

“Thrilled,” he corrected. “I might even go so far as to say exultant.”

“Yeah, well, you’re not the only one. Tell me again?”

“He’ll want to be an historian but he’ll never be able to choose a planet or even time period he wants to specialize in so he’ll strive to learn everything he can.”

“My smart little boy.”

“He’ll spend every night in the library and I’ll have to force him to go to bed long after you’ve retired for the night. Every single night, Rose. I might put the lights on a timer to make my life easier.”

She bit her lip and tried not to laugh at the future she was imagining.

“What else?”

“His blond hair will turn a bit gingery. It’s always someone else,” the Doctor lamented. “It’s not fair.”

“You’re handsome as you are. Probably look weird with anything other than that thick, dark hair of yours.” He looked at her in interest and she gave him a saucy look but said, “he’ll be handsome no matter what.”

“He’ll be stunning, you tease. I don’t like it.”

“Me or him?”

“Him. I don’t like it.”

“He’s still a baby.”

“One day, he won't be. I’ve seen that eventuality and I'm saying I already don’t like it. I won't handle it well. Just warning you now.”

“Gee, that’s swell, Doctor.”

“I’ve seen that you will survive.” Rose rolled her eyes and felt the Doctor bump her with his hip. “How much longer?”

“Three weeks. You’ll have to be patient.”

“Can always use my mind, I suppose. It’s not the same but it is pleasurable nonetheless.” He looked at her from the corner of his eye, brows arched and a distinct look of interest on his face. “I remember the first time I ever did that for you. It was here, in fact. Do you remember?”

“Oh, yeah. Still. You dragged it out, I think.”

“Of course I did. You wanted to nap. I had to make sure you were worn out. What do you think? It goes both ways, you know. Not that you would really need to do much of anything. Just feeling you taking pleasure out of any mental stimulation, well, I nearly get off every time.”

“Doctor, watch your mouth,” she scolded. “I'm holding the baby.”

“He wouldn’t understand even if he had been awake. He’s only three weeks old, Rose. What do you think?” He quirked his brows at her and briefly bit his bottom lip. “Wanna have a little fun when we get home?”

“Home? I like that.”

“Yes, I do, too. Now what do you think?”

“You realize it’s only been three days since I went down on you in the shower, right? You’re acting like you never… you know.”

“You’re still you, we were christening every surface in the TARDIS almost every single day before you gave birth, and I want you. So badly.”

Rose sighed and spotted Feyrwen running to them. He was hollering excitedly and waving his arms around like mad. Soon, she spotted Lahun, followed by Valnica, and let out a happy cry.

“Later, I'm getting into that head of yours,” she breathed, “and we’ll see who passes out first. For now, though, shut it.”

“Your wish is my command, Rose. Anything for the woman I love.”

“You hear that, baby? The key to getting Daddy to shut up is Mummy promising him sex. Even mentally. We must remember that.”

“Don’t tell him that,” the Doctor hissed, horrified. “He’s only three weeks old. What if he understood that?”

Rose threw her head back and laughed. She loved this ridiculous man and the child they had created. It boggled her mind sometimes to think that if they’d never made that first trip to Bortogue, if the Doctor had never been possessed and ordered her to hide from him, that everything she had gained in the last two years would still be out of reach for her.

No happy life on the TARDIS with an amazing man who loved her, no baby boy with a fantastic life ahead of him, no sassy ship leaving pointed hints she wanted a baby around for almost a year straight, no three month stretch with the Doctor randomly bringing up bonding ceremonies and wedding festivals he’d heard of (and she still couldn’t believe she’d waited that long before agreeing to one), no oftentimes frustrating lessons trying to learn the Doctor’s language, no conversations that were entirely mental for no other reason than that the Doctor loved being within her mind, none of it.

God, she had never been happier and she had one arsehole of a dead Fyrecress to thank.

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is in its entirety. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it and I sincerely hope you enjoyed every minute of it!
> 
> XX Jaspre Rose


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